Podcast  

AI and You

The final episode of AI and You casts a light on the disadvantages and the advantages of Artificial Intelligence in various sectors. A hope-filled potential for the future exists but AI could also bring some dangers. For now, what we do know is that our intelligence is real, and if we combine our human intelligence with compassion, ethics, transparency and the right political will, we might just be able to create a brighter future.

AI is one of the most hotly debated topics in parliaments, governments, and European and international institutions currently. At the end of 2023, 31 countries had already passed some form of AI legislation, and 13 were actively debating new laws. The recently passed EU AI law has caused quite a stir in recent months.  All eyes are now on the US as the 2024 elections may impact the generative AI legislation.
 

AI systems can search through enormous volumes of personal data, including criminal histories and other characteristics deemed to be "risk factors”. Recently, organisations have voiced worries about the French government's intention to utilise AI monitoring in the run-up to the Olympics in Paris. The most dreaded development in the near future is the emergence of deadly weapons driven by AI that are autonomous.
 

Can technology participate in solving the climate crisis? When it comes to energy waste optimisation, AI can step in and help. It can also optimise energy grids and make renewable energy sources more efficient. However, AI can’t tackle all problems related to the climate crisis and it is more often a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

Have you already heard about AI-powered hiring practices? Is this common practice reducing inequality, or reinforcing discrimination?  Some tech experts argue that AI can also be an opportunity to overcome all forms of bias, even those within humankind. 
 

AI has the potential to make certain diagnoses earlier and more accurately than human beings. However, some AI deployments in healthcare could harm us more than help us.

For what concerns mental health care, the use of AI has revealed that there are still “significant gaps” in our ability to apply these models for this purpose. Nonetheless, people are already turning to AI chatbots for mental health support.
 

How AI can impact education? In some places like China, Artificial Intelligence already plays a role in teaching, grading and planning lessons for students. However, while navigating through AI, it is important to learn to discern what is trustworthy and what is not.

With the development in technology and implementation of Artificial Intelligence all over different sectors, some of us are left with the fear that our jobs will be replaced by technology. Is that the case? Maybe. But certain skills like critical thinking, interpersonal skills and empathy, are out of AI’s reach.
 

The technologies and algorithms developed through artificial intelligence are already being used in various ways in our digital social interactions (dating apps, fall detection apps, AI virtual assistants, etc.).

What impact is AI having on our social lives today? What impact could it have in the future? 
 

Living in the world of technological evolution, have you also wondered if AI will take your job or solve climate change? Stop looking for answers because AI and YOU is here to find them for you!

It was in the 1950s, that the term “Artificial Intelligence” was first coined at a research conference, and ever since then, till today, humans have been obsessed with one question - Will AI surpass humans?  This episode takes you through the origin and development of AI from the early 1950s to the present. Tune in now.

This episode was edited by Alexander Damiano Ricci, Ana Ribera Garcìa Rubio, Francesca Milano and Claudia Torrisi.