Artificially Ever After

In this special episode, Kieren and Riku explore the groundbreaking intersection of AI and biology, revealing how AI's ability to process massive biological datasets is unlocking life's profound secrets. Tune in to discover how AI is speeding up vaccine development, generating new antibiotics, and creating sustainable solutions like plastic-eating enzymes and biofuels. This episode kicks off a special mini-series in collaboration with AIBIO-UK, a community-building project supporting AI in the Biosciences.

Birds for Scale, Smarties is licensed under CC BY-SA.

Local Forecast – Elevator by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC BY.

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In this Short Stuff episode, Kieren and Riku ask the big question after Google's 2025 developer conference: Did Google just win the AI race? They break down Gemini’s leap forward, an AI-first Google Search, agentic tools that promise to code and browse for you, and the privacy and publishing fallout that could follow. Was this a decisive victory or just a flashy head-fake? Tune in for the verdict in under 15 minutes.

Birds for Scale, Smarties is licensed under CC BY-SA.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode dives into today’s frantic scramble for supremacy in artificial intelligence. Kieren and Riku begin by speed-running the history of arms races, highlighting key points in the AI arms race, from AlphaGo to ChatGPT and China’s DeepSeek. They then unpack the trap pushing Big Tech and nation-states to build faster than they can regulate. Who's winning, what's at stake, and could this all end in a singularity?

Birds for Scale, Smarties is licensed under CC BY-SA.

Local Forecast – Elevator by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC BY.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Short Stuff episode, Kieren and Riku explore the world of humanoid robots, prompted by a Beijing half marathon where robots competed alongside humans. They discuss the rapid surge in interest and investment in the field, driven by advancements like multimodal AI and the huge demand from ageing populations. Despite the progress, they highlight significant technical hurdles like catastrophic forgetting and potentially larger societal issues like privacy concerns, discussing who will ultimately set the pace for this fast-evolving technology.

Birds for Scale, Smarties is licensed under CC BY-SA.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Kieren and Riku discuss whether AI is truly on the brink of taking our jobs, exploring the concept of "agentic AI" and how it differs from more traditional AI systems. They look back at key moments in technological history—such as the printing press and the computer—to illustrate how new inventions can displace workers, yet also create new roles and industries. Along the way, they discuss why certain tasks are surprisingly easy for AI to master, while others remain difficult, and propose useful “rules of thumb” to gauge which roles might be at risk. Tune in to explore the evolving landscape of work, the skills that remain valuable, and what a future with increasingly capable AI could look like.

Birds for Scale, Smarties is licensed under CC BY-SA.

Local Forecast – Elevator by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC BY.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Short Stuff episode, Kieren and Riku explore OpenAI's new GPT‑4o image generator and its remarkable ability to produce stunning art, including uncanny re-creations of the beloved Ghibli style. They tackle Miyazaki’s famously critical stance on AI, exploring the ethical questions surrounding artistic ownership, style-mimicry, and copyright. Join them for a quick chat that highlights both the technical wonder and creative tensions at the heart of today’s AI landscape.

Birds for Scale, Smarties is licensed under CC BY-SA.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Short Stuff episode, Kieren and Riku dive into Elon Musk's latest AI venture with the launch of Grok-3, exploring both its technical achievements and controversial "anti-woke" training approach. The episode examines leaked internal documents revealing xAI's unique training methodology, sparking important discussions about bias, political influence, and the ethical implications of AI development in an increasingly polarised landscape.

Birds for Scale, Smarties is licensed under CC BY-SA.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, Kieren and Riku explore public perceptions of AI by speaking directly to members of the public at Bristol's interactive science venue, We The Curious. From children imagining whimsical AI creations like flying pets and homework helpers to adults expressing genuine concerns about job security, education, and the environment. Join them as they share live recordings and discuss how these individual views align with recent large-scale surveys on AI sentiment. Discover what excites and worries people most about AI, how it impacts daily life, and why education about AI is becoming increasingly essential.

Birds for Scale, Smarties is licensed under CC BY-SA.

Local Forecast – Elevator by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC BY.

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In this Short Stuff episode, Kieren and Riku cut through the hype surrounding Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a term now more Googled than "the cure for cancer". They demystify the definitions of AGI, navigating the lack of consensus among experts and highlighting its increasing presence in media and tech.

Birds for Scale, Smarties is licensed under CC BY-SA.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Kieren and Riku explore the expanding role of AI across the sporting landscape, from recruitment and training to game strategy and officiating. Discover how AI-powered tools are being used for performance analysis, injury prevention, and tactical insights. They dive into the history of AI in sports, touching on how data-driven approaches, like those highlighted in the movie "Moneyball", have evolved. They consider both the benefits and the ethical considerations, including the potential for competitive imbalances, the loss of the human element in officiating, and concerns about data privacy.

Birds for Scale, Smarties is licensed under CC BY-SA.

Local Forecast – Elevator by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC BY.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.