TechSequences

Guest: Dave Hallett

Cancer, called the “Emperor of All Maladies” has been a formidable adversary of mankind since time immemorial. With its multitude of forms and elusive nature, cancer presents a daunting challenge for drug discovery. However, AI offers a glimmer of hope. From lung and breast cancer to melanoma and leukemia, AI-driven drug discovery is harnessing the power of machine learning, deep learning, and predictive analytics, to target a diverse array of cancer types for more effective treatments.

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Dave Hallet, an  experienced drug hunter with over 20 years’ experience leading successful teams and collaborations for drug discovery. Dave is also the Chief Science Officer and the interim CEO at Exscientia, a publicly listed global drug discovery company headquartered in the UK.

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Guest: Jen Sovada

Quantum sensing is poised to revolutionize virtually every aspect of our world. Quantum sensing’s distinctive ability to detect magnetic signatures is already aiding in navigation for countless fuel tankers worldwide, providing otherwise unachievable medical scans, and keeping all of our computer clocks in sync. 

Join us for a conversation with Jen Sovada, President of SandboxAQ’s Global Public Sector, on the existing and potential uses of quantum sensing and the consequences for fields as diverse as national security to navigation.

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Guest: Alp Kucukelbir

The manufacturing sector, notably cement and steel production, accounts for nearly 20% of global CO2 emissions. As artificial intelligence (AI) looms large in its potential to reshape all industries, there’s mounting pressure to integrate AI into manufacturing as a tool to combat climate change. Advocates highlight AI’s capacity to revolutionize manufacturing processes, offering optimization of operations, predictive maintenance to preempt equipment failures, and enhanced resource efficiency. Moreover, proponents envision AI facilitating the shift towards a circular economy, where materials like steel and plastics are recycled rather than discarded after their useful lifespans. However, critics caution against the substantial energy consumption associated with AI, suggesting that its benefits in streamlining manufacturing processes may be outweighed by its energy demands.

Join us for a discussion with Alp Kucukelbir, adjunct professor at Columbia University and Chief Scientist and co-founder of Fero Labs, as we delve into the potential and pitfalls of AI integration in manufacturing.

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Guests: David Bellos and Alex Montagu

Aside from IP lawyers, how many of us, particularly technologists, know about the origins of copyright laws and how they have evolved from the 18th century (yes pre-industrial revolution) to present? Our guess is not many. Inspired by a thought-provoking book “Who Owns This Sentence?: A History of Copyrights and Wrongs”, our latest episode delves into the origins of copyright laws and their evolution. Today copyrights touch virtually everything we see, listen, experience, or work with. But do they protect those they claim to protect? And just how relevant are they in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the age of AI?

Join us for a discussion with the authors, Professor David Bellos and Alex Montegu.

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Guest: Magnus Revang

Every year, Gartner unveils its Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies report, spotlighting 25 pivotal technologies to keep a keen eye on. It is hardly surprising then that this year generative AI took center stage in the report as Gartner believes it will yield transformational benefits in the next two to five years.

Join us for a a wide ranging discussion about the challenges in designing clever user experience and the innovations we have made, or can expect, thanks to generative AI with Magnus Revang, Chief Product Officer at Openstream.ai. Magnus is a former Gartner Research Vice President and an award-winning product and thought leader in the fields of user experience (UX), AI, and Conversational Virtual Assistants. 

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Guest: Jenny Reardon

Since the mid 2000’s the field of genetics has seen rapid technological innovation, particularly in DNA sequencing and genotyping technologies that enable analysis of large portions of an individual’s genome at a relatively affordable cost. These advancements made possible not only the monumental Human Genome Project, but also direct-to-consumer DNA testing kits. So did these innovations democratize access to genetic information, or not?  What about questions of access, control and inclusion? 

Please join us for a conversation with Dr.  Jenny Reardon, Professor of Sociology and the Founding Director of the Science and Justice Research Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz.  Her research draws into focus questions about identity, justice and democracy that are often silently embedded in scientific ideas and practices, particularly in modern genomic research. 

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Guest: Sally Lehrman

There is no question that an informed public and a free press are critical requirements for a functioning democracy.  But what if the public has little to no trust in the news media? How can we have a functioning democracy if citizens are wary of what is fact versus fiction? 

Please join us for a conversation with Sally Lehrman, award winning journalist, author and founder of the Trust Project, an international consortium of news organizations working towards greater transparency and accountability in the global news industry. The Trust Project developed Trust Indicators to identify, across news outlets and distribution platforms, the use of appropriate rigors of journalism. These enable the public to identify trustworthy news sources and thus make informed choices.

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Guest: Zoë MacDonald

The increased number of Internet enabled cars affords us luxuries deemed unattainable a few decades ago.  We can now navigate roads in a way to avoid traffic jams, diagnose problems and often fix glitches with a software upgrade, personalize our driving experience and entertainment, and much more.  But they are also massive personal information collection engines, stockpiling information about you from your use of the car, the car’s app as well as 3rd party services such as Sirius XM or Google maps.  And, by the way, most share or sell your data, all with little to no transparency or accountability to the users. 

How did this come about? Are some manufacturers better than others? Should we accept these costs as the unavoidable cost of convenience? And if not, then what recourse do we have? To discuss these and more, join us for a conversation with Zoë MacDonald of the “Privacy Not Included Buyers Guide” of the Mozilla Foundation.

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Guest: Nestor Maslej

Artificial intelligence has made inroads in each of the seven categories of art: architecture, cinema, literature, painting, music sculpture, and theater.  And in doing so, has challenged what it means to create art, as well as stirred debate about the potential consequences for human creators (writers, actors, and artists), and consumers. 

Join us for a discussion about the impact of AI on art with Nestor Maslej, fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a technology and policy think tank, and the research manager at the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) at Stanford University.  

By the way — like the episode title? It was generated for us by AI

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.