This Week in Tech with Jeanne Destro Jeanne Destro

What if you found out there are chemicals so toxic and dangerous that even just 10 barrels full of it could pollute all of Lake Erie?

Well, it turns out; there are, and they're in our environment, pretty much everywhere–from your Teflon coated frying pan, to the grease-resistant pizza box sitting on your kitchen counter. Oh, and speaking of kitchen counters; you know that stuff you use to seal the granite  every year or so? Yeah, they're in that too.

But, the type of chemicals that are used to makel those things, along with other ubiquitous and useful products like bandages, Scotchgard, and fire fighting foam; are exactly the type of chemicals known as PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances)  that are now regulated under new federal EPA guidelines that apply to public water supplies.

They're known as "forever chemicals", because they do not break down in nature. Once they're out there; they're out there, and once they're our bodies, they can cause all kinds of very serious illness, such as kidney and testicular cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, and more.

In addition, new investigative reporting shows the company that originally discovered them–3M–not only knew they were potentially deadly decades ago; they also purposely covered it up. As a result, they agreed to pay a $10.3 billion dollar settlement to water utilities nationwide.

Here in Ohio; the State recently settled a lawsuit for $110 million dollars against three companies–Chemours, Dupont De Nemours, and Corteva– that dispersed these chemicals into the air and water from their  Washington Works facility along the Ohio-West Virginia border.

So, today, we're both following up on a story we did late last year on what the City of Akron is doing to protect our drinking water supply from these dangerous chemicals, and learning about a new type of PFAS filter for tap water that consumers could use at home.
Listen now, to our conversation with City of Akron City of Akron Utilities Technical Services Manager, Scott Moegling, and University of Akron Polymer Science Professor,  Dr. Sadhan C. Jana.

There's not a whole lot better than summertime in Ohio, when it comes to picnics in the park, hikes along the Cuyahoga river, and maybe even a cool dip in one of our many beautiful lakes.

But this cool green serenity is at risk, as global climate change heats up the water, fosters toxic algal blooms, and hastens leaf decomposition, which in turn; fuels more global warming.

The good news is, though, that there is something you can do to help fight back against that, in your own yard right now.

It also just happens to be cheap, low-tech, and easy to accomplish without fancy lawn equipment, or an advanced degree in Biology.

Of course, we are going to need somebody who actually does have an advanced degree in Biology to explain it all to us, and that's where our special guest, Dr. David Costello, from Kent State University, comes in.

Listen now.

This week we're taking a look at a number of different ways that technology is affecting our children, our environment, amd the kinds of cars we drive.

We'll also hear about how some communities in NE Ohio are trying to ban large scale wind and solar facilities, and why the rapidly expanding use of Artifiial Intelligence may mean the return to using nuclear power to produce electricity.

Find out more. Listen now.

Although Wall Street Analysts, Stockbrokers, and Traders already use sophisticated computer programming to help them make what is in some case dizzyingly vast sums of money; rapidly developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools could soon help them make even more.

On the other hand; AI could also completely replace a lot of those jobs, leaving the people doing them today, out of work and wondering how to get back in the game.

That in fact, is a scenario that is going to play out for billions of workers in all sorts of different fields over the next five to ten years, according to AI Developer, Professor, and Author, David Shrier. I talked to him last week about his new book “Welcome to AI: A Human Guide To Artificial Intelligence”, in which he predicts that within five to ten years; unemployment in the US and other countries could hit 30 to 50 percent. (To listen to that interview, click here).

Obviously; that is not the kind of blow that the US, or any other economy could absorb without either buckling, or at least being severely crippled for time, without some sort of serious intervention. Shrier talked about the need for government to step in with a safety net solution, like Universal Basic Income (UBI) , and large-scale programs to retrain employees so they can work with, and not try to compete against, AI.

With that in mind; I approached Kent State University Finance Professor, David Pelleg, about how they adapting to this new technology, so that when their students  graduate; they will have the kind of AI-related skills they need to grow and prosper, despite major job disruptions that lie ahead.

Imagine if the outrage Apple stirred up this week over the ad showing their super thin new Ipad Pro "crushing" images representing art and music, amplified billions of times over. 

Imagine that instead of just crushing just digital images of human creativity, another tech creation; artificial intelligence, actually crushes our entire world economy, by eliminating 30 to 50 percent of all jobs, leaving millions of people, including today's top earners, in the dust, on the dole, and in despair.

Then, imagine another reality, and in this one; all the boring bits of your job disappear, and you are left free to concentrate on the creative bits, with the time and freedom to innovate, and collaborate in new ways that could usher in a new age of prosperity.

Now, imagine that you get to choose, but you have to do it right now. What would you do? How could you choose>? Who could you ask for help? 

These are the kinds of questions that our guest today, David Shrier, attempts to answer in his new book, "Welcome to AI" A Human Guide to Artificial Intelligence". Find out more. Listen now.

David Shrier is a globally recognized author and expert on technology-driven innovation. He is a Professor of Practice, AI and Innovation, at Imperial College Business School, cohead of the Trusted AI Alliance at Imperial College London, Academic Director of the Imperial College Centre for Digital Transformation, and Managing Director of venture studio Visionary Future. He previously held a dual appointment at MIT and the University of Oxford. Shrier has advised public companies, private enterprise, and more than a hundred governments on fields such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, and financial technology. In addition, he has launched multiple AI-based university spinouts.

This week our special guest has a special tie to the Akron community.

University of Akron graduate, Dr. Greg Davis, who started his professional career as a Physics teacher at Stow High School, has been with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, since 2005.

Currently their Principal Technologist; Davis has worked on a number of amazing projects, including the Juno spacecraft, three Mars landers, and Mars Pathfinder.

Listen now, as we find out what's next in his fascinating career, and explore some of the mysteries of space, starting first with a conversation about the Webb Space Telescope.