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MIT Open Aggregated Podcast Feed
By MIT Open LearningEducation
MIT Open Aggregated Podcast Feed episodes
- How companies can rebuild trust around data with Danny WeitznerFounding Director of the MIT Internet Policy Research Initiative CSAIL Senior Research Scientist Daniel Weitzner says a lack of visibility about how personal data is being used is leading to an erosion of customer trust. However, companies increasingly need to leverage data for analytic advantage, generative AI applications, and more. His research focuses on solutions which would empower consumers with visibility and control of their data, facilitating a future of accountability and trust. Hear more about his work here: https://www.csail.mit.edu/person/daniel-weitznerFind out more about CSAIL Alliances, as well as a full transcript of this podcast, at: https://cap.csail.mit.edu/podcasts/how-companies-can-rebuild-trust-around-data-danny-weitzner?utm_source=alliancesmembers&utm_medium=pardot&utm_campaign=dannypod24If you would like to learn more about CSAIL's Professional Development Courses, including the upcoming Driving Innovation with Generative AI, visit here: cap.csail.mit.edu/events-professional-programs. Podcast listeners save 10% on courses with code MITXPOD10.30 min
- Alan F. Blackwell, "Moral Codes: Designing Alternatives to AI" (MIT Press, 2024)Why the world needs less AI and better programming languages. Decades ago, we believed that robots and computers would take over all the boring jobs and drudgery, leaving humans to a life of leisure. This hasn’t happened. Instead, humans are still doing boring jobs, and even worse, AI researchers have built technology that is creative, self-aware, and emotional—doing the tasks humans were supposed to enjoy. How did we get here?In Moral Codes: Designing Alternatives to AI (MIT Press, 2024), Alan Blackwell argues that there is a fundamental flaw in the research agenda of AI. What humanity needs, Blackwell argues, is better ways to tell computers what we want them to do, with new and better programming languages: More Open Representations, Access to Learning, and Control Over Digital Expression, in other words, MORAL CODE. Blackwell draws on his deep experiences as a programming language designer—which he has been doing since 1983—to unpack fundamental principles of interaction design and explain their technical relationship to ideas of creativity and fairness. Taking aim at software that constrains our conversations with strict word counts or infantilizes human interaction with likes and emojis, Blackwell shows how to design software that is better—not more efficient or more profitable, but better for society and better for all people. Covering recent research and the latest smart tools, Blackwell offers rich design principles for a better kind of software—and a better kind of world.Alan F. Blackwell is Professor of Interdisciplinary Design in the Cambridge University department of Computer Science and Technology. He is a Fellow of Darwin College Cambridge, cofounder with David Good of the Crucible Network for Research in Interdisciplinary Design, and with David and Lara Allen the Global Challenges strategic research initiative of the University of Cambridge.Dr. Michael LaMagna is the Information Literacy Program & Library Services Coordinator and Professor of Library Services at Delaware County Community College.53 min
- Getting Your Care at MIT Health
MIT Health is accepting new patients. As annual employee open enrollment is happening, remember to sign up for an MIT-sponsored health insurance plan so you and your family can use MIT Health services such as Primary Care, Urgent Care, and nearly 20 different types of specialty care. In this podcast, Primary Care Clinical Director Jessica Senesi, Medical Specialties Manager Kate Derr and Family/Sports Medicine Physician Chukwueloka Obionwu talk about the benefits of managing your care at MIT Health.
7 min - Maria from Brazil: An Open Learner’s Story
In this inaugural episode of the Open Learners podcast, hosts Emmanuel Kasigazi and Michael Jordan Pilgreen interview Maria Eduarda Barbosa, a medical student located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Maria tells in her own words how MIT OpenCourseWare changed the trajectory of her life, particularly how she might never have achieved her full potential if one of her teachers had not recognized her abilities and urged her to pursue more challenging studies. Googling “Calculus introductory course,” Maria discovered one of Prof. Gilbert Strang’s videos on MIT OpenCourseWare, and it opened a vision of new horizons for her. She became a near-daily user of MIT OpenCourseWare, and the experience transformed her intellectual life, inspiring her to become passionate about her own education and to share that passion with others around her. Maria describes how the experience has not only awakened her curiosity and self-motivation, but also given her a better attitude about the gaps in her existing knowledge. Now, she says, she doesn’t think, “Oh, I'm lost because I'm stupid”; instead she thinks, “I'm lost because I haven't learned this yet.”
The Open Learners podcast is produced by Alexis Haut.
Relevant Resources:
MIT OpenCourseWare
The OCW Educator portal
Prof. Andrew Lo (MIT faculty page)
15.401 Finance Theory I on MIT OpenCourseWare
Prof. Gilbert Strang (MIT faculty page)
RES.18-005 Highlights of Calculus (including “The Big Picture of Calculus”) on MIT OpenCourseWare
Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions
Share Your Open Learning Story
To share your own open learning story with Michael and Emmanuel, send them an email at [email protected].
Connect with Us
If you have a suggestion for a new episode or have used OCW to change your life or those of others, tell us your story. We’d love to hear from you!
Call us @ 617-715-2517
On our site
On Facebook
On X
On Instagram
On LinkedIn
Stay Current
Subscribe to the free monthly "MIT OpenCourseWare Update" e-newsletter.
Support OCW
If you like Chalk Radio and OpenCourseware, donate to help keep these programs going!
Credits
Sarah Hansen, host and producer
Brett Paci, producer
Dave Lishansky, producer
Jackson Mayer, producer
Show notes by Peter Chipman
27 min - Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani, "The Cities We Need: Essential Stories of Everyday Places" (MIT Press, 2024)An expressive book of prose and photographs that reveals the powerful ways our everyday places support our shared belonging. Where would you take someone on a guided tour of your neighborhood? In The Cities We Need: Essential Stories of Everyday Places (MIT Press, 2024), photographer and urbanist Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani introduces us to the complex, political, and eminently personable stories of residents who answered this question in Brooklyn, New York, and Oakland, California. Their universal stories and Bendiner-Viani’s evocative images illuminate what’s at stake in our everyday places—from diners to churches to donut shops. In this culmination of two decades of research and art practice, Bendiner-Viani intertwines the personal, historical, and photographic to present us with placework, the way that unassuming places foster a sense of belonging and, in fact, do the essential work of helping us become communities.In this unique book, Bendiner-Viani makes visible how seemingly unimportant places can lay the foundation for a functional interconnected society, so necessary for both public health and social justice. The Cities We Need explores both what we gain in these spaces and what we risk losing as they are threatened by gentrification, large-scale development, and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, Bendiner-Viani shows us how to understand ourselves as part of a shared society, with a shared fate; she shows us that everyday places can be the spaces of liberation in which we can build the cities we need.Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani is a visual urbanist and cofounder of the interdisciplinary studio Buscada. She is the author of Contested City, a finalist and honoree for the Brendan Gill Prize. A widely exhibited photographer, she holds a doctorate in environmental psychology from the Graduate Center, CUNY.Caleb Zakarin is editor at the New Books Network.40 min
- Ethically Sourced Creativity: Shutterstock's Alessandra SalaAlessandra Sala, senior director of data science and AI at Shutterstock, brings an impressive background in responsible AI to her role. Also the global president of Women in AI and cochair of the Women4Ethical AI platform at UNESCO, Alessandra joins this episode to describe how Shutterstock, widely known as a stock photo company, has become a go-to destination for creative assets — and AI training data.Alessandra outlines Shutterstock’s content acquisition and royalty models, which reward contributors whose assets are used to train third parties’ AI models and have set the standard for other stock media companies. She argues that these ethical approaches aren’t just a moral choice — they offer strategic advantage, given that these assets are integral to shaping the future of AI-generated content. Learn how Alessandra’s team is leading the charge in ethical AI and redefining the creative landscape. Read the episode transcript here.For more on model collapse — when AI models are trained on AI-generated content — see this recent New York Times article, “When AI’s Output Is a Threat to AI Itself.”Guest BioAlessandra Sala is the senior director of AI and data science at Shutterstock. She has acquired more than 10 years of experience in research and innovation through her work in both academic and commercial environments. Sala is passionate about advanced analytics, machine learning, and computational models, with a focus on transitioning innovation from research to products.Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper.Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn.We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.36 min
- Lynne B. Sagalyn, "Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change" (MIT Press, 2023)What is it about Times Square that has inspired such attention for well over a century? And how is it that, despite its many changes of character, the place has maintained a unique hold on our collective imagination?In Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change (MIT Press, 2023), which comes twenty years after her widely acclaimed Times Square Roulette, Dr. Lynne Sagalyn masterfully tells the story of profound urban change over decades in the symbolic space that is New York City's Times Square. Drawing on the history, sociology, and political economy of the place, Times Square Remade examines how the public-private transformation of 42nd Street at Times Square impacted the entertainment district and adjacent neighbourhoods, particularly Hell's Kitchen.Dr. Sagalyn chronicles the earliest halcyon days of 42nd Street and Times Square as the nexus of speculation and competitive theatre building as well as its darkest days as vice central, and on to the years of aggressive government intervention to cleanse West 42nd Street of pornography and crime. Thematically, the author analyses the three main forces that have shaped and reshaped Times Square—theatre, real estate, and pornography—and explains the politics and economics of what got built and what has been restored or preserved.Accompanied by nearly 160 images, more than half in colour, Times Square Remade is a deftly woven narrative of urban transformation that will appeal as much to the general reader and New York City enthusiast as to urbanists, city planners, architects, urban designers, and policymakers.This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.59 min
- Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the WorldWhy do we assume that computers always get it right?Today’s book is: Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World (MIT Press, 2019), in which Professor Meredith Broussard argues that our collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every aspect of life has resulted in a tremendous amount of poorly designed systems. We are so eager to do everything digitally—hiring, driving, paying bills, even choosing romantic partners—that we have stopped demanding that our technology actually work. Broussard, a software developer and journalist, reminds us that there are fundamental limits to what we can (and should) do with technology. With this book, she offers a guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology—and issues a warning that we should never assume that computers always get things right. Making a case against technochauvinism—the belief that technology is always the solution—Broussard argues that it's just not true that social problems would inevitably retreat before a digitally enabled Utopia. To prove her point, she undertakes a series of adventures in computer programming. She goes for an alarming ride in a driverless car, concluding “the cyborg future is not coming any time soon”; uses artificial intelligence to investigate why students can't pass standardized tests; deploys machine learning to predict which passengers survived the Titanic disaster; and attempts to repair the U.S. campaign finance system by building AI software. If we understand the limits of what we can do with technology, Broussard tells us, we can make better choices about what we should do with it to make the world better for everyone.Our guest is: Professor Meredith Broussard, who is Associate Professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University and Research Director at the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology. She is the author of Artificial Unintelligence, and of More Than A Glitch. Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Economist, and more. She appears in the 2020 documentary Coded Bias and serves on the advisory board for the Center forOur host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, the producer of the Academic Life podcast. She holds a PhD in history, which she uses to explore what stories we tell (and why) and what happens to those we never tell.For listeners who want to learn more:More Than A GlitchWelcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! You can support the show by posting, assigning or sharing episodes. Join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 200+ Academic Life episodes? You’ll find them all archived here.49 min
- Introducing the Open Learners Podcast
Emmanuel Kasigazi is a data scientist from Kampala, Uganda. Michael Jordan Pilgreen is a financial technology engineer from Memphis, Tennessee. Kasigazi and Pilgreen know firsthand how transformative open learning can be: Pilgreen’s discovery of the free educational materials at MIT OpenCourseWare helped him develop new technical skills and eventually led to a new career in a field he is passionate about, while Kasigazi has enjoyed MIT OpenCourseWare’s wealth of lecture videos on YouTube for years, not only to learn within his field but also to immerse himself in the deep questions of psychology and philosophy. In this episode we hear from Kasigazi and Pilgreen about how open learning changed their lives and how they became friends and colleagues despite living on opposite sides of the world. We also hear of their new project, in which they’ll be teaming up to host an upcoming special season of Chalk Radio. Unlike the typical Chalk Radio season, which focuses on the supply side of open learning, featuring interviews with inspired educators at MIT, this special “Open Learners” podcast season will focus on candid conversations with open learners from all over the world. This special season is coming Fall 2024. Don’t miss it!
Relevant Resources:
MIT OpenCourseWare
The OCW Educator Portal
Emmanuel Kasigazi - Open Learning Story
Michael Jordan Pilgreen - Open Learning Story
Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions
Share Your Open Learning Story
To share your own open learning story with Michael and Emmanuel, send them an email at [email protected].
Connect with Us
If you have a suggestion for a new episode or have used OCW to change your life or those of others, tell us your story. We’d love to hear from you!
Call us @ 617-715-2517
On our site
On Facebook
On X
On Instagram
On LinkedIn
Stay Current
Subscribe to the free monthly "MIT OpenCourseWare Update" e-newsletter.
Support OCW
If you like Chalk Radio and OpenCourseware, donate to help keep these programs going!
Credits
Sarah Hansen, host and producer
Brett Paci, producer
Dave Lishansky, producer
Jackson Mayer, producer
Show notes by Peter Chipman
12 min - Silk, the fabric of more sustainable agriculture — Benedetto Marelli
Benedetto Marelli is a biomedical engineer by training and a materials scientist. He is an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His work is focused on the fabrication of new biopolymers that can interact with biomolecules, living matter, and the environment. Here, Benedetto speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about the advantages of using silk-based coatings in agriculture as well as for water filtration, and why being bold and creative can lead to powerful discoveries.
Links:
- Laboratory for Advanced Biopolymers
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- MIT Climate Project
Timestamps:
- (01:23) - The benefits of silk use for agriculture
- (06:00) - MIT’s Climate Grand Challenges
- (07:12) - Using silk to filter out forever chemicals
- (09:31) - MIT’s Climate Project
Show notes and transcript:
https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-8-hard-facts-soft-skills
Join the mailing list or send us feedback:
https://eepurl.com/ixPQPA
24 min
About MIT Open Aggregated Podcast Feed
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Episodes from podcasts from around MIT