Understand

Tech and AI: 5. Big Data


Listen Later

Big data is vast, unwieldy information that is so huge that normal software traditionally used to analyse it just can't cope.

It's not new. Ever since humans organised ourselves, we've been keeping records, and gathering information, from scrolls, to bank ledgers and now your internet browsing history.

But his information is now flowing into organisations at a faster rate and in greater volume than ever before. Taking a good look at it could provide meaningful insights. But how can you spot patterns in the chaos, without the job taking forever? And what insights could this mega data analysis provide?

Technology has already completely altered our lives, and Artificial Intelligence may transform our world to an even greater degree. This series is your chance to get back to basics and really understand key technology terms. What's an algorithm? where is "the Cloud" and what exactly is Blockchain? What's the difference between machine and deep learning in artificial intelligence, and is it just our jobs under threat, or is it much worse than that? And before we get to the destruction of humanity, should we all be using Bitcoin? Our experts will explain in the very simplest terms everything you need to know about the tech that underpins your day. We'll explore the rich history of how all these systems developed, and where they may be going next.

Presenter: Spencer Kelly

Producers: Ravi Naik and Nick Holland
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

UnderstandBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

18 ratings


More shows like Understand

View all
More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

897 Listeners

Money Box by BBC Radio 4

Money Box

44 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,117 Listeners

File on 4 Investigates by BBC Radio 4

File on 4 Investigates

40 Listeners

The Week in Westminster by BBC Radio 4

The Week in Westminster

28 Listeners

The Bottom Line by BBC Radio 4

The Bottom Line

34 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

418 Listeners

Moral Maze by BBC Radio 4

Moral Maze

67 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

243 Listeners

The Briefing Room by BBC Radio 4

The Briefing Room

69 Listeners

Political Thinking with Nick Robinson by BBC Radio 4

Political Thinking with Nick Robinson

110 Listeners

Newscast by BBC News

Newscast

650 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

140 Listeners

Sideways by BBC Radio 4

Sideways

74 Listeners

Radical with Amol Rajan by BBC Radio 4

Radical with Amol Rajan

32 Listeners