Artificial intelligence won't destroy us. The future won't lead to a war between machines and humans despite what science fiction movies and books tell us. The Terminator isn't going to start knocking on doors.
But this doesn't mean that artificial intelligence isn't changing the world. It's already doing so in many astounding ways. This can be very overwhelming—especially if you are not a big technology fundie (and many of them can't make sense of it, either!).
Fortunately, there are excellent podcasts that look at AI in ways we can understand, going beyond technology to discuss how AI impacts people's lives. Whether driving, at the gym, or enjoying a break, you can pop one of these on through your favourite media app and listen to a short episode that delves into all the different areas of artificial intelligence.
Humans vs. Machines
Humans vs. Machines covers a variety of AI topics, such as AI companions, self-driving cars, misinformation, and much more. It's actually season 4 of the podcast show 'The World As We Know It', but presented as an eight-part miniseries that stands on its own. If you want a good taste of what it offers, listen to the episode, 'What Happens When AI Takes The Wheel?'.
Tech Talk With Vodacom - ChatGPT And The Future Of Autonomous AI
Although this podcast isn’t entirely about AI, the episode titled The Future Of Autonomous AI delves into the subject with Deon Heunis, co-founder of the digital development agency SwipeIX. He discusses the potential of AI, the fears it is causing, and talks about a local autonomous AI product that he and SwipeIX have developed. Besides this episode, there are also numerous other useful and informative tech podcasts on Tech Talk with Vodacom.
Bot Love
The idea that people use AI for companionship, friendship, and even love might seem strange. But it's very popular, especially for therapy or people in very lonely circumstances. Bot Love is a series that puts a face to this phenomenon, exploring its good and bad sides. If you think AI companions are a silly idea, you'll find this show eye-opening. The best place to start is the first episode, 'Looking for a friend'.
In Machines We Trust
This extensive series from MIT concluded in August, but it's still an excellent archive of many AI-related topics. Beyond that, the episodes of in Machines We Trust are compact and often shorter than 20 minutes, giving conversational but proper looks into almost every AI topic you can think of. You can start anywhere, but the episode 'What is AI?' is an excellent primer on how to distinguish AI from other types of software.
HumAIn
One of the longest-running podcasts on AI, HumAIn invites experts to dive into specific areas and questions regarding AI. Some of the episodes can be pretty specific and technical, but many cover topics that interest everyone, and trawling through the six seasons (and counting) will tell you a lot about AI today. For a good place to start, listen to the episode, 'How AI Will Impact Society Over the Next Ten Years'.
TWIMLAI
TWIMLAI (previously called This Week in Machine Learning & AI) is another long-running podcast series and the most technically inclined on this list. But it tackles its topics with a common touch and is terrific if you want to discover more about specific AI topics, such as large language models or how AI is changing healthcare. It would be best to start with other podcasts before graduating to TWIMLAI. But when you do, find the 'New to the podcast' playlist on its website and sample one of those episodes.
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