Artificial intelligence is already revolutionizing almost every aspect of society.  But what additional advancements will we see in the near future?  And what ethical issues should we address along the way?

In this, the second of a two-part episode – and our Season One finale – we explore what’s next for AI in areas such as disaster response, robotics, creativity, health care and transportation. And we discuss the ethical considerations surrounding its use and the importance of regulation to ensure safe and beneficial outcomes for society.

Sharing their insights on this episode are AI experts from Carnegie Mellon University and various organizations and companies including: Rachel Mandelbaum, Aarti Singh, Robin Murphy, Tom Mitchell, Dan Green, Deva Ramanan, Jim Garrett, Zach Lipton, Carmel Majidi, Assaf Gad, Martial Hebert, Raj Reddy, Ramayya Krishnan, Chris Mueller, and Drew Thurlow.

We’ll see you for Season Two of Where What If Becomes What’s Next from Carnegie Mellon University.  Stay tuned!

If you think that Artificial Intelligence was recently invented, think again. The roots of AI go back decades, centuries, even to ancient mythology.  So how did AI go from myth to reality?

In this, the first of a special two-part episode, we present a brief history of AI.  We start with the first imagined robot in ancient Greece, fast-forward to Alan Turing’s groundbreaking work in computer science and then to the seminal 1956 summer workshop at Dartmouth College where the term “artificial intelligence” was coined. At that workshop, two Carnegie Mellon University professors, Herbert A. Simon and Allen Newell, presented what is considered the first artificial intelligence program and the “birth” of the AI industry. We’ll hear from a few of the other early AI pioneers at CMU as they share personal stories and milestones in AI and robot development while discussing the societal impact of AI.

In part two, our season finale, we look to the future… and hear from these pioneers and more about where they think – and hope – What’s Next for AI, while discussing the need for guardrails and ethics around AI development.

Joining us are: Tom Mitchell, CMU Founders University Professor; Dr. Raj Reddy, Moza Bint Nasser University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics in the School of Computer Science at CMU; and Dr. Manuela Veloso, the head of JP Morgan AI Research and the Herbert A. Simon University Professor Emeritus in the School of Computer Science at CMU.

What if paleontologists could create robot replicas of dinosaurs to better understand them – and how they moved – and in turn learn more about us?

In this episode, we’re talking about the intersection of paleontology, robotics, and artificial intelligence. That includes paleobionics… an emerging field at Carnegie Mellon University – that uses robotics and soft robotics to help scientists better understand how dinosaurs and other extinct organisms might have moved.  Not only could this lead to new discoveries about dinosaur behavior and evolution, it also could provide new understandings on how we, as humans, move while helping engineers design more agile robots that move better through our world.  We’ll meet some of the scientists building these new robots based on fossil records of extinct organisms such as the pleurocystid, an ancient ancestor of the starfish and sea urchin, and the gorgonopsid, a strange dinosaur that’s part mammal, part reptile. 

And could paleobionic scientists someday build a working, life size Tyrannosaurus Rex?  Let’s find out.  

Joining us are: Dr. Aja Mia Carter, postdoctoral researcher working with Carnegie Mellon University’s Robomechanics Lab; Carmel Majidi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at CMU; and Aaron Johnson, Associate Professor of mechanical engineering and robotics at CMU and faculty for the University's Robomechanics Lab. 

What if a robot could be a compassionate companion - an antidote to loneliness as we age – and in some cases – help those suffering from dementia?

Loneliness among the elderly has become something of an epidemic.  According to a recent national survey, about 37 % of American adults aged 50 to 80 experienced loneliness, and about 34% of respondents said they felt socially isolated. Companion robots have the potential to alleviate loneliness and improve the well-being of these older adults as well as help those suffering from memory loss from dementia or Alzheimer’s. They can converse about daily activities, connect to new friends around the country, lead workout sessions, suggest and place calls to loved ones, provide gentle reminders for taking medicines, play music, suggest what's for dinner, and even host live bingo games. 

In this episode, which is Part 2 of a two-part episode on robots and health care, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for developing companion robots to help the elderly with loneliness.  We also meet ElliQ, an AI-powered companion robot that is already being used in thousands of older adults' homes. The future of companion robots may involve using softbotic technologies to create anthropomorphic features and lifelike physical interaction.

Joining us in part two are four experts in robotics and the elderly: Carmel Majidi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University; Selma Šabanović, Professor of Informatics and Cognitive Science and Director of R-House Lab at Indiana University Bloomington; David Crandall, Professor of Computer Sciences and Director of the Luddy Artificial Intelligence Center at Indiana University Bloomington; and Assaf Gad, VP Strategy and GM for Intuition Robotics. 

Robots and artificial intelligence are transforming the healthcare industry, from drug development to surgical procedures to personalized healthcare plans. 

In this, the first of a two-part episode, we'll take a big picture look at these transformational technologies and meet a leader in the emerging field of soft robotics, the creation of robots and wearable devices that look, feel, and move more like humans.  And we'll meet a co -founder of a fast-growing healthcare technology company and find out why their AI-powered technology is making life better for doctors and patients one doctor-patient visit at a time. We will also discuss how the use of robots and AI in healthcare raises regulatory and ethical considerations. 

In part two, coming up in two weeks, we'll do a deep-dive on companion robots, and how they are helping the elderly overcome their loneliness, manage illnesses such as Alzheimers and dementia, and improve their health and well-being. 

Joining us in part one are three experts in robotics and health care: Dr Christopher Müller, Director of the Statistical Department for the International Federation of Robotics; Carmel Majidi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University; and Zach Lipton, the Raj Reddy Associate Professor of Machine Learning at Carnegie Mellon University and Chief Technology Officer and Chief Scientist of ABridge.

What’s next for autonomous self-driving cars?  In this episode we explore the development of self-driving autonomous vehicles and the role of AI in improving their reliability, safety, and economic viability.

We discuss the history of self-driving vehicles, including the DARPA Challenges which kick-started self-driving automobile development, and the challenges and advancements in the industry. The conversation also focuses on the use of AI and computer vision in autonomous vehicles, a new concept of “shared autonomy” in self-driving and the benefits of autonomous technology.  We also do a deep-dive on the potential for autonomous trucking, and speak with a company that already has a fleet of self-driving trucks on the road – trucks that have driven more than 2 million miles delivering freight.

Joining us are three experts in autonomous driving: John Dolan, a Principal Systems Scientist in the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University; Deva Ramanan, professor at Carnegie Mellon's Robotic Institute and  co-director for their Center of Autonomous Vehicle Research; and Bart Nabbe, VP of Corporate Development and Strategic Partnerships at Aurora Innovation.

What does it take to teach a robot to pick an apple? Let’s find out.  In today’s episode, we will explore how AI technologies are helping agriculture solve some of the world’s biggest problems – from world hunger to protecting the environment to a labor shortage down on the farm.  

Robots, drones and machine learning are being used by farmers around the world to monitor crop health, soil conditions and weather patterns -- so they can optimize the yield from their crops while conserving scarce resources such as water.  AI is protecting the environment when robots identify weeds and then eliminate them one at a time – a precision that dramatically reduces broader usage of potentially harmful chemicals and herbicides.  AI-powered self-driving tractors and robots are performing tasks such as watering, spraying and harvesting crops  to help farmers grow food from fields that might otherwise go untended due to a worldwide labor shortage.  Drones equipped with high-resolution cameras are monitoring crops for real-time signs of disease and pest infestations, thereby securing the safety of food for generations to come.  Across the USA and around the planet, AI is quickly becoming the newest tool in the farmer’s toolshed.  

Joining us are four experts in AI and agriculture: George Kantor is a research professor in the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.  Pat Schnable is a distinguished professor at Iowa State University, director of its Plant Sciences Instituten and a co-founder of an ag-tech startup EnGeniusAg.  Abhi Silwal is a Senior Project Scientist at CMU’s Robotics Institute. Terry Bates is the Director of the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Lab, a Senior Research Associate at Cornell’s School of Integrated Plant Sciences and the director of the Efficient Vineyard Project.

Happy 4th of July – from the Where What If Becomes What’s Next podcast team – and Carnegie Mellon University.  I’m your host Randy Scott, and we are giving the team a well-deserved break – and will see you on July 18th with our next episode on how Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing agriculture and helping to feed the world. 

What if artificial intelligence and robotics – including  drones – are used to revolutionize disaster response?

It's already happening. The use of drones – particularly small consumer drones – has become standard in disaster response due to their affordability and ease of use. AI is used to enhance disaster response by predicting natural weather disasters and helping first responders make better decisions about resource allocation and evacuation routes. AI can also analyze data from disasters to create predictive models and identify vulnerabilities. Ethical considerations include accountability for decision-making and the potential for biases in AI algorithms. The future of AI in disaster response includes improved decision-making algorithms for robots and drones and faster response times.

Joining us are two disaster response experts: Robin Murphy is a professor of computer science and engineering at Texas A&M University and leads the Texas A&M team in Carnegie Mellon’s AI Institute for Societal Decision Making. Robin is considered to be the founder of and the leading practitioner in disaster robotics. Robin has been an active field responder, using robots, drones, and AI in more than 30 disasters in five countries. Aarti Singh is a professor in the machine learning department at Carnegie Mellon University and the director of the National Science Foundation's AI Institute for Societal Decision Making at Carnegie Mellon. 

What if AI could discover new black holes and unlock the secrets of the universe? 

On this episode, we're diving deep into the cosmos and back in time to explore how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing astrophysics and astronomy at warp speed.  From discovering black holes to modeling the birth of the universe to helping map the sky as part of a new wide-field survey, AI is reshaping our understanding of the cosmos. 

Where did black holes come from?  What can AI teach us about exploding stars? Can AI prove the Big Bang Theory of the origin of the universe? What are the ethical and responsible uses of AI in astronomy?  Buckle up as we embark on a journey to the stars and beyond. 

Joining us are astronomy and astrophysics experts: Rupert Croft professor of physics and a member of the McWilliams Center for Cosmology and Astrophysics at Carnegie Mellon University; Rachel Mandelbaum, professor of physics working on cosmology as part of the McWilliams Centers for Cosmology and Astrophysics, at Carnegie Mellon University; and John Wu, assistant astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which operates NASA's Webb, Hubble, and other space telescopes.