AI for the Rest of Us
Check out all the episodes of UT Austin’s hit podcast about artificial intelligence.
AI for the Rest of Us is a podcast from The University of Texas at Austin that helps explain artificial intelligence—what it means, who it affects and what you need to know right now. UT Austin has declared 2024 its Year of AI, and AI for the Rest of Us offers the chance to listen in on conversations between leading UT Austin faculty and co-hosts Marc Airhart, a science communicator in the College of Natural Sciences, and Casey Boyle, an associate professor of rhetoric and the director of UT’s Digital Writing and Research Lab.
Subscribe on your favorite podcasting app (click the Listen & Subscribe button on Simplecast) or listen to all 11 episodes below:
EP1: What Is AI, Anyway?
What do we even mean when we say “artificial intelligence”? And how do we make sure it’s safe and useful? Here, with all the answers, is AI and robotics expert Peter Stone.
EP2: Rise of the LLMs
Greg Durrett tackles your burning questions about large language models: How did they get so good so fast? Will they eventually be smarter than us? Will they take our jobs, flood us with misinformation or perpetuate harmful biases?
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EP3: The University of AI
AI tools might transform education, say by giving every student a smart, patient and affordable tutor. But could these tools actually hamper learning? And what’s the point of paying to go to college if you can learn everything from AI chatbots?
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EP4: AI at Work
Who will ultimately benefit from having more of our work done by AI—employees or employers? What about potential harms, like forcing us to spend time cleaning up mediocre products—pushing down wages—or eliminating jobs altogether? And how can we best prepare for working in an AI-powered future?
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EP5: How AI is Accelerating Discovery
AI is transforming the way scientists design cancer drugs and vaccines, study how stars form, translate brain activity into speech and turn pollution into useful products.
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EP6: The Algorithm Will See You Now
There are a lot of wild claims about what AI can do to help make us healthier—so how can we figure out what’s real and what’s hype? And are there some potential pitfalls with these new technologies?
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EP7: Can We Trust AI to Make Big Decisions?
Are you okay with a machine deciding if you’ll get hired for your dream job, what kind of tests your doctor orders, whether you look like the person who just robbed a jewelry store, or how much interest you’ll pay for a car loan? Welcome to the world of AI decision making.
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EP8: Is it Time to Regulate AI?
Artificial intelligence is very loosely regulated in the U.S. Today we’re talking with a legal expert on the kinds of laws that could help make AI safer and more useful for everyone.
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EP9: Is AI Coming for Our News?
How much of our news is AI-generated right now and how might that change? With more and more misinformation posing as news, how can we sort out fact from fiction? And, in the face of falling revenue, can AI help save the news industry?
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EP10: Live with Kara Swisher
AI takes a huge amount of energy to run and could make it harder to fight climate change. On the other hand, AI could help make our energy systems more sustainable, efficient and safer. Three experts talk all things AI and energy with a live audience.
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EP11: Live Show: AI + Energy
AI takes a huge amount of energy to run and could make it harder to fight climate change. On the other hand, AI could help make our energy systems more sustainable, efficient and safer. Three experts talk all things AI and energy with a live audience.
