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Sleepwalkers

17 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 543 ratings

With secret labs and expert guests, Sleepwalkers explores the thrill of the AI revolution hands-on, to see how we can stay in control of our future.

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Episodes

Modern Alchemy

August 27, 2021 07:01 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MB

We explore the hidden role of cobalt in the A.I. revolution. The element is a key ingredient of lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from cell phones to laptops to electric vehicles. But the way cobalt is mined is troubling. New Yorker journalist Nicolas Niarchos takes us to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which accounts for more than 70% of the world's cobalt supply. There, he exposes child labor in the supply chain and reveals a new frontier of competition with China.  Learn m...

Modern Alchemy

August 27, 2021 07:01 - 29 minutes

We explore the hidden role of cobalt in the A.I. revolution. The element is a key ingredient of lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from cell phones to laptops to electric vehicles. But the way cobalt is mined is troubling. New Yorker journalist Nicolas Niarchos takes us to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which accounts for more than 70% of the world's cobalt supply. There, he exposes child labor in the supply chain and reveals a new frontier of competition with China.  Learn mor...

Introducing 'Raised by Wolves: The Podcast'

September 03, 2020 10:00 - 2 minutes

In this companion podcast to HBO Max’s Raised By Wolves – the dystopian drama series from Executive Producers Ridley Scott and Aaron Guzikowski – the endlessly curious Holly Frey invites the show’s creators and innovators from science and technology to discuss the most fascinating questions raised by the series. Whether exploring A.I., religious wars, or space travel, each podcast episode springboards off scenes from the TV show to view the series through an eerily realistic prism. Not only a...

Introducing Forgotten: The Women of Juarez

June 03, 2020 23:15 - 44 minutes

Sleepwalkers Season 2 is in the works, and we've been hard at work on another series that you might like. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Sleepwalkers at CES

January 24, 2020 21:44 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MB

In this special bonus episode, Oz and Karah share their trip to the Consumer Electronics Show. They present excerpts from a conversation with Matt Monahan of The Washington Post about how to best harness the power of AI, while avoiding common pitfalls. Matt is head of product for Arc Publishing, which began life as The Post's internal publishing suite, and is now licensed by hundreds of partner sites. Oz and Karah also discuss their highlights from the CES floor, including a device to track ...

AI & Us

January 14, 2020 18:50 - 26 minutes - 24.7 MB

In this special episode, Oz and Karah examine our evolving relationship with the technology we create. Karah meets Jason Cohen, CEO of Analytical Flavor Systems, to see if his team can hack her taste preferences, and use AI to create a new flavor of beverage that she will love. Oz and Karah also look ahead to Season 2, previewing stories they are excited to report, including algorithms that promise to optimize end-of-life conversations. And they share highlights from conversations with guest...

Deus Ex Machina

July 04, 2019 04:00 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MB

The rules are changing. At a time when technology promises to allow the lame to walk and the blind to see, we're forced to ask: what makes us uniquely human? In this final episode of Season 1, we speak with the so-called "sage of Silicon Valley," Yuval Noah Harari, about humanity's future. We try out technology that claims to deliver on a miracle, and we meet the source of several new innovations being created by people normally left out of the laboratory.  In this episode: Professor Yuval N...

Algorithm, M.D.

June 27, 2019 04:04 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MB

A.I. is already better than human doctors at diagnosing skin and breast cancer. And as machine learning advances, it's becoming able to decode more complex information, like brain waves and the human genome. A.I. is beginning to revolutionize medicine, and allowing us to see into the future of our bodies...but can we ever know too much about ourselves? What will happen when machine learning lets us open our own black boxes?   In this episode: Physician and author Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee,...

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

June 20, 2019 04:00 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MB

War has been a driver of breakthrough technology for a long time. The first waves of artificial intelligence and even the internet came out of DARPA, a defense agency whose original mission was to keep the U.S. technologically ahead of the Soviet Union. But what happens when the battlefield is increasingly dominated by autonomous weapons, which don't require humans in the loop to shoot and kill? In this episode: Arati Prabhakar, former head of DARPA; Richard Danzig, former Navy Secretary; Pa...

Dull, Dirty, Dangerous

June 13, 2019 06:03 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MB

Robots are coming for our jobs, and not just in factories. Artificial intelligence doesn't distinguish between blue collar and white collar work, which means that the economy of the future will look very different. And as it changes, we'll need to make big adjustments. But A.I. is also being used in the fight against world hunger. This episode, we speak with roboticists, inventors, and a fast food regular about how we'll put food on the table. In this episode: Ian Bremmer of Eurasia Group,...

The New Deal

June 06, 2019 04:00 - 37 minutes - 34 MB

We travel to Silicon Valley where Astro Teller welcomes us inside X, Google's secretive innovation laboratory, to explain how one of the most powerful companies on earth is building the future. X is working on everything from creating new antibiotics to restoring internet connectivity after natural disasters. And they're not alone. Tech companies are increasingly involved in building infrastructure, and even playing the role of government. But what kind of power does this give them? And what...

Truth to Power

May 30, 2019 15:32 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MB

It's getting harder to tell reality from fiction. Fake news and misinformation are all around us, and they're increasingly used as weapons of war. But what happens when A.I.-doctored videos are added to the mix? We meet the people fighting back against deep fakes, and even using them for good. And we visit Facebook headquarters to learn how Russian agents are trying to manipulate our behavior.   In this episode: Nathaniel Gleicher of Facebook, John Micklethwait of Bloomberg News, Jose Sot...

Poker Face

May 23, 2019 04:00 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MB

Ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world where computers know exactly what we're feeling? It may sound far-off but advances in sensor technology and A.I. are making us easier to read than ever. For some, this conjures fears of a Minority Report future. For others, it means revolutions in medicine and end-of-life care. We speak with leading experts in the field of empathetic technology to understand the risks and rewards of giving up our privacy. When our technology can adapt to...

The Watchmen

May 16, 2019 18:39 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MB

If data doesn't make you think of a new world order, it should. AI is enabling wholesale surveillance, and changing the landscape in countries like China, where cameras monitor citizens to decide their social credit score. But how is this already playing out in the US? We speak with experts on both sides of the Pacific, and visit the NYPD to learn how they use AI. Plus, we see where else predictive technology is being used in the American criminal justice system.  In this episode: Ian Bremm...

Chocolate Chicken Chicken Cake

May 09, 2019 06:06 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MB

If there's one thing that sets people apart from machines, it's creativity, right? Automation may take over certain jobs, but what happens when algorithms start to learn from our work to create their own? This episode, we speak with people using AI to generate films, poetry, music, and even recipes. And the founder of Google X, Sebastian Thrun, explains what's powering this new wave of AI. In this episode: Ross Goodwin and Oscar Sharp of Sunspring, Janelle Shane of AI Weirdness, Drew Silve...

Sleepwalking

May 02, 2019 12:05 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MB

Welcome to the A.I. revolution that is already transforming our lives, for good and evil. But what exactly are we sleepwalking into? We start by investigating the connections between online dating, terrorism, and screen addiction. In this episode we hear from: Tristan Harris of the Center for Humane Technology, Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post, Yasmin Green of Jigsaw, and Dr. Helen Fisher. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/l...

Welcome to Sleepwalkers

April 25, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 1.04 MB

This is Sleepwalkers. With secret labs and expert guests, Oz Woloshyn and Karah Preiss explore the thrill of the AI revolution hands-on, to see how we can stay in control of our future. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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