#21 Responsible Media Coverage: Hype in Our Stories About Chatbots | WeAreSTS
WeAreSTS
English - December 30, 2022 12:00 - 29 minutes - 29 MB - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingEducation Science academic history sts sciencecommunication university london philosophy sciencepolicy Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Is AI sentient? Do machines have souls? I’ve got an even better question: are these questions the most important ones we should be asking? Headlines claiming machines could be alive are definitely eye-catching. But hype does not come unaccompanied: misinformation, fear, and fake news are close friends with sensationalism. They target audiences who probably know enough about the topic, but not enough to critically analyse the information fed to them. Understanding the role the media plays in opinion-making about new science and technology is vital when we are dealing our own decision making over risk, harm, and benefit.
Further information on Hype, Chatbots, and AI Gemma Milne, 2020. Smoke & Mirrors: How Hype Obscures the Future and How To See Past It (listen to our episode interviewing Gemma) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/world/siri-alexa-ai-gender-bias.html https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/2022/06/dangerous-fallacy-sentient-aiThe full conversation between Google engineers and LaMDA is available online.
FeaturingReporter and researcher
Andréa Lekare KunInterviewees
Dr Stephen Hughes, Lecturer in UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) Dr Amanda Rees, Professor in the Sociology Department at the University of York Dr Nina Seppala, Deputy Director (Academic Affairs) of the School of Management at University College LondonHost
Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology Music creditsIntro and Exit music
“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeodhttps://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5
Interval music
“Andréa’s theme” by Michael Sansbury Podcast informationWeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:
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