The Rundown

Over a thousand people signed a letter, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, calling for a pause on AI development. But a number of recent scientific breakthroughs, especially in medicine, have been led by AI. What is the promise of AI in advancing science and medicine? Will it help usher in a new era of science? Will it replace human scientists? And could AI, in the future, produce a scientific breakthrough or theory that no human can understand?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The thing about families is that at one point or another, we've all both hated and loved those we're related to. But rarely has it been described as Kelly S. Thompson does in her new memoir, "Still, I Cannot Save You." It's about her relationship with her sister, the expectations we have for our siblings and how our wrongs don't need to define us.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems like technology and artificial intelligence are making more headlines with chat bots and algorithms making new discoveries almost daily. What's next? And are we prepared for a world that uses artificial intelligence? Sinead Bovell, futurist, and founder of WAYE, a tech education company, joins us to discuss what the future will look like, the potential challenges and how we can get ahead of them.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the Medium Still the Generational Message?
When Canadian media theorist and futurist Marshall McLuhan wrote his most influential works in the 1960s, it's hard to imagine he really envisioned our world as it is, in all its technological and social media complexity. Still, his notion that, ,the medium is the message, endures, and even invites us to consider how the evolution of the media ecosystem has rippled across, and perhaps even, shaped subsequent generations. For insights on whether the avalanche of media makes us better informed than we were in the past we invite, in order of generational seniority: from the baby boom: Suanne Kelman career journalist and professor of journalism, now retired; from generation X: Paolo Granta, associate professor of Book and Media Studies at the University of St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto; from the millennial generation: Noor Malik, a marketing professional; and from gen Z, TikTok content creator, Hazel Thayer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether you care or not, the fact of your birth assigns you to a generation. And according to psychologist and author Jean Twenge's latest and most comprehensive book, whichever one it is, it's foundational to understanding how major shifts in our world shape us, in the broadest terms. Twenge discusses the book, "Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents - and What They Mean for America's Future."

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are works of architecture that take your breath away. What makes them great? In the final instalment of our focus on design, architects Marianne McKenna; Carol Phillips, Don Schmitt, and Eladia Smoke | KaaSheGaaBaaWeak discuss the styles and buildings that inspire them.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are a lot of moving parts to get buildings up and with that comes a flurry of challenges. As architecture week continues, architects Marianne McKenna; Carol Phillips, Don Schmitt, and and Eladia Smoke | KaaSheGaaBaaWeak discuss their pain points and the role that controversial projects play, such as Ontario Place.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we walk into a space, how should we feel? How does light and shadow affect us while we're there?? Architects Marianne McKenna; Carol Phillips, Don Schmitt, and Eladia Smoke | KaaSheGaaBaaWeak discuss some of their works and the intention behind the design.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What goes into the design of a space? How does an architect choose materials? As we continue our focus on design, we ask architects Marianne McKenna; Carol Phillips, Don Schmitt, and Eladia Smoke | KaaSheGaaBaaWeak whether form or function should prevail.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can we jump to warp speed? What about teleportation? In our cosmos concluding episode, astronomer Bryan Gaensler, astrophysicist Nathalie Ouellette, theoretical physicist Matthew Johnson, and aerospace engineer Walter Stoddard discuss the limitations of our imagination, and what we can do to bridge the education gap.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.