Understand: Tech and AI 

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Adam Fleming unpicks some of the key elements of the UK election.

Adam Fleming, host of Newscast and AntiSocial, unpicks some of the key elements of the UK election.

Tech and AI

Understand: Tech and AI: Tech and AI: 5. Big Data

Tech and AI: 5. Big Data

BBC Radio 4 - Understand, Tech and AI, Tech and AI: 5. Big Data

Just how big is big data, and what can you do with it?

Big data is large, hard to manage volumes of information, that inundate organisations every day. But could it potentially unlock big insights?

Big data is vast, unwieldy information that is so huge that normal software traditionally used to analyse it just can't cope. 

It's not new. Ever since humans organised ourselves, we've been keeping records, and gathering information, from scrolls, to bank ledgers and now your internet browsing history. 

But his information is now flowing into organisations at a faster rate and in greater volume than ever before. Taking a good look at it could provide meaningful insights. But how can you spot patterns in the chaos, without the job taking forever?  And what insights could this mega data analysis provide?     

Technology has already completely altered our lives, and Artificial Intelligence may transform our world to an even greater degree. This series is your chance to get back to basics and really understand key technology terms. What's an algorithm? where is "the Cloud" and what exactly is Blockchain? What's the difference between machine and deep learning in artificial intelligence, and is it just our jobs under threat, or is it much worse than that? And before we get to the destruction of humanity, should we all be using Bitcoin? Our experts will explain in the very simplest terms everything you need to know about the tech that underpins your day. We'll explore the rich history of how all these systems developed, and where they may be going next.

Presenter: Spencer Kelly
Producers: Ravi Naik and Nick Holland 
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples

Understand: Tech and AI

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