VOWELCAST Benson Mwaura

The quest for a thinking machine is afoot. It has been our continuous pursuit, for a while now. Two decades into the 21st century and different schools of thought are already driving the key trends we see in AI today.

What are the conceptual breakthroughs that have led to the AI race we are witnessing? And what are the new rules that are changing the status quo?

Sources:

Google Duplex: An AI System for Natural Conversations

Join us in the conversation and subscribe to VOWELCAST. Follow @Benson_Mwaura @vowel_cast

It's hard to think of a single technology that will reshape our world more —in the next 50yrs or so— than Artificial Intelligence.

Earlier this year, around April, a new Google AI research centre opened its first-ever African research lab in Accra, Ghana.

It plans to host engineers and researchers for AI-related projects.



In our 1st episode, find out how Machine Learning Algorithms are slowly changing the way modern society runs and operates.



Sources:

WIRED - Final Frontiers: Barack Obama on Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Cars, and The Future of the World.

Teachable Machine with Google - Teachable Machine 2.0 makes AI easier for everyone.

TEDEd - The Turing Test: Can a computer pass for a human? - Alex Gendler



Media: 

WSJ (The Wall Street Journal), CNA (Channel News Asia: Singapore), Ghana TV, UNESCO, TechPointAfrica, WIRED Magazine



Subscribe to our podcast and follow @Benson_Mwaura @vowel_cast

IT’S HARD TO think of a single technology that will reshape our world more

—in the next 50 years—than artificial intelligence. As Yuval Harari says, 

"It is much harder to struggle against irrelevance than against exploitation." 

Let's grow #AI literacy.

A new type of thinking is essential, if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels – Albert Einstein



What Einstein was referring to was the heart of creativity and optimism.

It is the singular place where great discoveries are made but it's also the place where a great deal of mistakes are made; more often than not.



Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a computer science issue. It is in the spaces and environments we occupy.

Our workplaces. Our Homes. Even in our pockets.

Hundreds of new learning algorithms are invented every year, but they’re all based on the same few basic ideas.

The idea that better data will ultimately yield better decisions.



Listen to all you really need to know to understand how AI is changing the world. 



Excerpts & Snippets:

– Geoffrey Hinton: The Foundations of Deep Learning  https://youtu.be/zl99IZvW7rE

– Turing Award Won by 3 Pioneers in Artificial Intelligence  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/technology/turing-award-ai.html

– Bill Gates on Africa's population boom and the risk of the US turning inwards  https://youtu.be/0MMifQvuN08

– Fasten your seat belts, folks, the East African Century is already upon us https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/ea/The-East-African-Century-is-already-upon-us/4552908-5008138-aqdg9vz/index.html

– Mo Ibrahim speaks at CAETS 2016, hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering in September 2016 https://youtu.be/basLeZQBLzI



Media sources:

The Economist, AfricaNews, TechInsider and GhanaWeb TV



Disclaimer:

This episode is not sponsored by any branded content featured here unless explicitly observed.

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You can send us your feedback and what you'd like us to cover on the future of work. Through our Twitter handles:

– Host @Benson_Mwaura

– Podcast @vowel_cast



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Algorithms... what are they anyway?
Well, you won't be surprised that you already know and use them. Only that you probably don't call them algorithms.

People want to know about algorithms—but not too much



Excerpts & Credit:

- Watch | BBC Learning - What Is An Algorithm?
- Music | Journeyman by Aakash Gandhi


Hello foodies!
Watch Mark Wiens' The Ultimate KENYAN STREET FOOD TOUR in Mombasa -
and see why Coastal East African Food from Swahili cuisines will keep you drooling.



Translation:

Swahili dishes mentioned in this podcast–

– Viazi Karai:  Pack potatoes boiled and filled with a chili-sour paste, coated with a different type of tempura batter and deep fried

– Kaimati: Fried sweet dumplings coated with a sweet syrup called ‘kaimati’

– Vitumbua: deep fried pouched bread



You can send us your feedback and what you'd like us to cover on the future of work.
through our Twitter handles:

– Host @Benson_Mwaura

– Podcast @vowel_cast



Remember to like, share and subscribe!

What's the future role that artificial intelligence will have on the productivity of the future workforce? Subscribe to the best insights on how best we can use A.I to enable us solve problems and build a better working world.



This is part 1 of the second episode(i.e #E02) in this series. So here's what to expect in our #E02: The Future of Work In The Age of The Algorithm.

- Part 1 lays the landscape and background of A.I as we understand it today.

- In Part 2 we get into the more technical section.



Both segments will keep you 10X STEPS AHEAD of the field at your workplace, so subscribe to get notified when Part 2 drops.



Subscribe and share with your community or send us some feedback in our podcast and host pages on Twitter: 

- VOWELCAST @vowel_cast https://twitter.com/vowel_cast

- Benson M @Benson_Mwaura https://twitter.com/Benson_Mwaura



Credits:



Podcast Music - Official Soundtrack

AhDah - Cephelopod by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100376

Artist: http://incompetech.com/



Music

Breathing Planet by Doug Maxwell



Excerpts: 



Mind The Product

Article: Building Products AI-First by Aparna Chennapragada

https://www.mindtheproduct.com/2017/07/building-products-ai-first-aparna-chennapragada/



Video: Building Products AI-First by Aparna Chennapragada at Mind the Product San Francisco 2017

https://vimeo.com/223416398



BBC Science Focus

Article: How much data is on the internet?

A gigabyte, a terabyte, and a petabyte walk into a bar...

https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/how-much-data-is-on-the-internet/



Gartner Inc

Article: Gartner Says AI Technologies Will Be in Almost Every New Software Product by 2020

https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2017-07-18-gartner-says-ai-technologies-will-be-in-almost-every-new-software-product-by-2020



Deloitte Insights

Article: Pervasive intelligence - Smart machines everywhere

https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/focus/signals-for-strategists/pervasive-intelligence-smart-machines.html