The TED AI Show

Ever since generative AI tools like Midjourney became available to the public in 2022, curious users and AI fanatics alike have been experimenting with the technology. But for tech aficionados and AI enthusiasts like Justin Maier and Maxfield Hulker, Midjourney’s closed-source model wasn’t enough — they wanted to go deeper. That’s why Justin and Max created Citivai, an open-source generative AI tool and social platform where users can create, share, and experiment with new image generation models. They sit down with Bilawal to discuss why community is so important to open-source development, the future of algorithmic personalization, and the famous so-called “dead internet theory.” They also unpack the risks of open-source development, and emphasize the importance of setting boundaries to keep users safe — while acknowledging the important role that “not-safe-for-work” content has played in the evolution of these powerful tools.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts   

When it comes to preparing for an interview or making an important life decision, more and more people are turning to AI for advice. ChatGPT’s new voice interface, Advanced Voice Mode, allows users to speak out loud and converse with a chatbot as they would with another human — but is it really as seamless as a chat with a friend? Bilawal runs a series of experiments with Advanced Voice Mode to test the limits of this new technology and its potential uses, from weighing the pros and cons of a cross-country move to coaching an intense personal workout. He and producer Dominic Girard discuss the potential benefits and dangers of this new advancement, and ask perhaps the most important question of all: can ChatGPT pronounce Bilawal’s name? 

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts   

We’ve had conversations about AI’s online influence on politics, from deepfakes to misinformation. But AI can also have profound effects on hardware – especially when it comes to national security and military capabilities like weapons and stealth technologies. Kathleen Fisher is an office director at DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency tasked with the research and development of emerging technologies for use by the U.S. military. Despite its bureaucratic name, DARPA is anything but conventional – and they’re solving problems that are thrillingly complex. Kathleen shares how her team employs nimble thinking to understand the state of AI across the globe. Then, she and Bilawal discuss the strategies needed to embrace the possibilities –and challenges– of AI now, and what we need to do to build a sustainable future.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts 

Many people associate innovation with secrecy—privately toiling away on a project until you're ready to share it with the world. While that may work for some, there's a benefit to putting all your cards on the table. Bilawal sits down for a conversation with Thomas Wolf, whose company Hugging Face pivoted from privately building an AI chatbot to sharing all of its knowledge with a growing online community. Thomas discusses the history of Hugging Face, why embracing open source development has shifted the trajectory of AI, and how open source can challenge existing power structures in the AI world.

From vetting resumes to screening candidates, many employers are using AI tools to identify top talent. But what happens when companies start relying on AI to help them decide who to hire or promote…and who to fire? Bilawal speaks with journalist Hilke Schellmann, whose research on the rapidly growing use of AI in the workplace highlights where algorithms are helping – and hurting – business. Hilke shares the surprising (and not surprising) ways AI works in the hiring process, and argues that transparency, regulation, and oversight are essential if AI is going to actually benefit employees and employers. For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts  

Llama is Meta’s Large Language Model trained on over 15 trillion tokens of publicly available information. It’s available to anyone – from people making custom fan-made entertainment on a smartphone… to, potentially, complex projects that may not have the public’s well-being in mind. So if Llama is such a widely available and powerful product, why is Meta releasing it – for free? Bilawal chats with Meta’s own Vice President of Product, Ragavan Srinivasan, to discuss the pressing questions around Llama’s benefits and risks.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts  

Whether finding a restaurant or fact-checking a new claim, search engines are one of the main avenues we use to navigate the world. So why are modern engines so clunky and frustrating – and how is AI already changing the infrastructure we use to access information on the internet? Bilawal sits down with CEO of Perplexity AI Aravind Srinivas to discuss how we got to a world with too many links, and what the future may hold for your experience on the web.

If you've ever cringed at a poorly-dubbed film, you are not alone. That's why Scott Mann founded Flawless, a company that’s transforming the world of dubbing using AI. He talks with Bilawal about why good dubbing is essential for movie making and shares the mind-blowing technology that not only lets Robert DeNiro speak perfect Spanish, but radically changes how films might get made. The two also discuss what to keep in mind as creativity, industry, and AI technology continue to intertwine — and what we need to protect artists' rights.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts  

Today's episode is from another podcast from the TED Audio Collective, TED Talks Daily. If you missed our newest episode, you can listen to it HERE. The TED AI Show will be back with new episodes soon!

You've heard Nita Farahany on this show before (and if you haven't, check the episode out HERE). Nita's the neurotech and AI ethicist who is calling for the legal recognition of our "cognitive liberty." In her TED Talk, Nita shares examples of how neurotechnology can let you track your own brain activity and help you deeply understand your health -- but why without privacy protections, your innermost thoughts, emotions and desires could be at risk of exploitation. Nita details some of the field's promising potential uses -- like tracking and treating diseases from depression to epilepsy -- and shares concerns about who collects our brain data and how they plan to use it, ultimately calling for widespread recognition of cognitive liberty as we connect our brains and minds to technology. 

AI is shaping every aspect of our lives — but only a handful of tech giants are having a say in what this technology can do. So what’s going on with world governments? Bilawal sits down with geopolitical expert Ian Bremmer to unpack the UN’s just-released plan for “Governing AI for Humanity,” a report that focuses on the urgent need to guide AI towards helping everyone – rather than the powerful few – thrive. Together, they explore the complexities of  AI’s rapid growth on a worldwide scale and take a clear-eyed look at the pivotal decisions facing us in the very near future.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts 

2024 is the biggest election year in modern history, with over 50 countries going out to the polls across the globe. And artificial intelligence has fully seeped into global politics – from deepfakes to AI bots that can ingest thousands and thousands of documents to make policy decisions. Bilawal talks with journalist Vittoria Elliot, who’s been leading on WIRED’s AI Elections Projects, to discuss how AI is reshaping the political landscape in surprising ways. The two explore the good, the bad, and the downright bizarre – and share what the U.S. can learn from other countries to adapt and critically engage with "the new normal."

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts 

Imagine a world where your thoughts are no longer private – where employers, friends, and even companies can see, hack, or exploit your thinking. According to ethicist Nita Farahany, that reality is closer than you think. Nita and Bilawal discuss the rapidly advancing field of neurotechnology and its potential to completely transform our everyday lives, from tools that could help you deeply understand your health to tech that could manipulate your dreams. Nita also shares why we need to protect our "cognitive liberty" and how to exercise our rights to think freely in an age of mind-reading technology.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts   

Cutting-edge technology and vast amounts of data are revolutionizing climate modeling with unprecedented accuracy. So could AI be the crystal ball we need to predict — and even control — Earth's climate? Bilawal sits with Dion Harris, the head of data center product marketing at NVIDIA, and climate physicist Tapio Schneider to discuss how technology could reshape our approach to climate change and influence global decision-making. The three also dive into how AI could help us make hyper-local climate predictions — and debate the ethical dilemmas of geoengineering.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts

Cheating has never been easier with the rise of AI like ChatGPT. It's definitely something to worry about, but what do we know about the upsides of AI in education? Khan Academy founder Sal Khan says education won't destroy our kids' brains, but we have to integrate AI the right way. After launching a new chatbot, Khanmigo, Sal has found that AI opens up opportunities for students to learn in ways they couldn't before, leaving room for more creativity, deeper thinking and gained perspective. Sam and Bilawal discuss why AI seeping into the classroom is inevitable — and how to use it to our advantage.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts

Is Google's dominance in search engines at risk with the rise of generative AI models? In this episode from The Next Wave, a podcast we think you'll like, hosts Matt Wolfe and Nathan Lands dive in to the conversation with Bilawal. They explore the potential challenges facing Google's search engine supremacy due to advancements in generative AI models and discusses the implications for the future of search engines and advertising. Bilawal discusses the impact of AI-generated content on search results and the need for a nuanced approach in navigating the evolving landscape of digital information.

Check out more The Next Wave on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Kevin Roose is a tech journalist who writes about the intersection of tech, business, and culture. In today’s episode from How to Be a Better Human, another podcast in the TED Audio Collective, he talks about the shift of technology’s role in our lives and how we can set up boundaries with our devices to regain our autonomy. He also shares why he’s optimistic about the future, and his view on how futureproofing your job in an automated world has less to do with sharpening up our coding skills and more to do with leaning into our shared humanity. 

Find more How to Be a Better Human wherever you get your podcasts.

What do sandwiches have to do with AI? Data reformist Kasia Chmielinski helps us think about artificial intelligence with a useful food metaphor — and breaks down why AI systems should have "nutrition labels" to ensure the development of fairer, more transparent algorithms. 

This is an episode of TED Talks Daily. Every weekday, TED Talks Daily brings you the latest talks in audio. Join host and journalist Elise Hu for thought-provoking ideas on every subject imaginable — from Artificial Intelligence to Zoology, and everything in between — given by the world's leading thinkers and creators. Find some space in your day to change your perspectives, ignite your curiosity, and learn something new. Get TED Talks Daily wherever you get your podcasts.

You may know will.i.am as the 7-time Grammy-award winning singer, songwriter, producer, and frontman of The Black Eyed Peas. But his interests beyond music have also taken him down a surprising and creative path – from serving as the director of creative innovation at Intel, to becoming the first artist to stream a song from the surface of Mars, to hosting the first radio show with an AI co-host. In this episode of ReThinking with Adam Grant, organizational psychologist Adam Grant asks about will.i.am about his creative process and digs into how he turns his expansive ideas into reality. will.i.am also shares his hopes and fears about the future of technology and entertainment, and the two debate what AI can and can’t do for human creativity.

Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts

How will AI change the way you work? A.J. Jacobs is a journalist and author who has written books like "The Year of Living Biblically", "The Puzzler", and "Thanks a Thousand." And although he's built a career off of his creative ideas, the rise of ChatGPT and other generative AI has made him concerned there will still be a place for his work as technology gets more advanced. In this episode from Fixable, another podcast from TED, leadership experts Anne Morriss and Frances Frei chat with AJ about how to use AI a resource, and the ethical dilemmas that must be confronted as AI becomes a greater part of our lives.

This is an episode of Fixable, TED's business call-in show. Frances Frei is a Harvard Business professor. Anne Morriss is a CEO and best-selling author. Anne and Frances are two of the top leadership coaches in the world. They're also married to each other. Together, Anne and Frances move fast and fix stuff by talking to guest callers about their workplace issues and solving their problems – in 30 minutes or less. Both listeners and guests will receive actionable insights to create meaningful change in the workplace – regardless of their position on the company ladder. If you want to be on Fixable, call the hotline at 234-Fixable (that's 234-349-2253) to leave Anne and Frances a voicemail with your workplace problem. You can also e-mail your workplace problem to [email protected]

Transcripts for Fixable are available at go.ted.com/fixablescripts.

The TED AI Show is going on a short summer break! In the meantime, we're sharing a special episode of TED Tech, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective that we think you'll love. Listen every Friday as TED speakers explore the way tech shapes how we think about society, science, design, business, and more. 

How is AI changing the nature of human imagination and creativity? Bilawal shares how anyone can use AI-powered tools — like 3D scans that let you redesign the physical world in real time — to expand the possibilities of artistic expression, often within just minutes. After his talk, join TED Tech host Sherrell in conversation with Bilawal to hear more about the mind-bending tools he's excited about using, and the future of art and AI.

Get more TED Tech wherever you get your podcasts.