Short Wave

Are You Overestimating The Algorithm?


Listen Later

Humans hallucinate. Algorithms lie.

At least, that's one difference that Joy Buolamwini and Kyle Chayka want to make clear. When ChatGPT tells you that a book exists when it doesn't – or professes its undying love – that's often called a "hallucination." Buolamwini, a computer scientist, prefers to call it "spicy autocomplete." But not all algorithmic errors are as innocuous. So today's show, we get into: How do algorithms work? What are their impacts? And how can we speak up about changing them?

This is a shortened version of Joy and Kyle's live interview, moderated by Regina G. Barber, at this year's Library of Congress National Book Festival.

If you liked this episode, check out our other episodes on facial recognition in Gaza, why AI is not a silver bullet and tech companies limiting police use of facial recognition.

Interested in hearing more technology stories? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to consider your idea for a future episode!

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Short WaveBy NPR

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

6,199 ratings


More shows like Short Wave

View all
TED Radio Hour by NPR

TED Radio Hour

22,032 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,982 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,126 Listeners

Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,653 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,686 Listeners

Science Vs by Spotify Studios

Science Vs

12,203 Listeners

Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science Friday

6,334 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,436 Listeners

The Indicator from Planet Money by NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money

9,518 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,207 Listeners

Life Kit: Health by NPR

Life Kit: Health

412 Listeners

Life Kit by NPR

Life Kit

4,382 Listeners

Consider This from NPR by NPR

Consider This from NPR

6,369 Listeners

Unexplainable by Vox

Unexplainable

2,297 Listeners

The Economics of Everyday Things by Freakonomics Network & Zachary Crockett

The Economics of Everyday Things

1,655 Listeners