Science Friction - Hello AI Overlords ABC listen

The world is experiencing a boom in artificial intelligence (AI). It's everywhere. In just a few years, computers have learned to paint a picture, write a novel, translate languages and consume the entire internet.

But how we got here goes back decades to two men who couldn't agree on the best way to teach a thinking machine.

The AI world was divided. Then a new kind of machine beat a human at Go, a game it was never supposed to be able to win.

As ChatGPT shows us, AI can do some amazing stuff. But it does some creepy stuff as well. And it's already been responsible for locking up innocent people.

The story of how AI scanned millions of drivers licences and accused Michigan man Robert Wiliams of a crime he didn't commit.

When human biases lead to neural networks going rogue.

When you think about a driverless car future, perhaps your mind goes to being driven around, watching movies from the backseat and drinking martinis.

For over a decade, perfect driverless cars have seemed only a few years away. But in reality, they were nowhere close.

Now, driverless cars are finally being rolled out in some cities.

But (like humans) they're crashing and causing chaos.

So are driverless cars finally here? Or is teaching a car to drive simply too difficult?

2023 has been the breakout year of artificial intelligence. After decades of investment and improvement, the technology suddenly went mainstream.  For many, it was as though a miraculous machine was plonked in our midst.

But AI didn't come from nowhere. And it hasn't been a smooth and simple process. It's been a story rife with drama, conflict, and disagreement.

So where did it come from? Who made it? Who controls it?

Welcome to our new Science Friction series Hello AI Overlords!

Across six fascinating episodes, we'll tell you the human stories that shaped the emergence of today's AI technology over more than half a century and where we might be heading.

First episode out Wednesday 25th October

He’s not a bird. But he wants to be. And now he’s going to jump into the jet stream without wings. Will he survive? Will he break a world record? Will his message be heard?

Hey, who are you calling a luddite!?