Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: The Truth about AI

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Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

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Mind-expanding talks and hands-on science, inspiring children and adults alike since 1825.

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2023: Professor Mike Wooldridge - The Truth about AI

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: The Truth About AI

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Mike Wooldridge

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David Coleman

Felicity Chapple

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Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: 2023: Professor Mike Wooldridge - The Truth about AI: The Future of AI: Dream or a Nightmare?

The Future of AI: Dream or a Nightmare?

BBC Four - Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, 2023: Professor Mike Wooldridge - The Truth about AI, The Future of AI: Dream or a Nightmare?

Professor Mike Wooldridge is joined by leading experts to grapple with the future of AI. 

Professor Mike Wooldridge is joined by leading experts to grapple with the future of AI. What opportunities and dangers lie ahead as AI continues to evolve?

Professor Mike Wooldridge grapples with the future of AI in the third and final Christmas lecture. 

Mike takes a ride in a driverless car. Autonomous vehicles, once a science fiction dream, are now a reality. Many AI researchers believe removing human drivers will eventually make our streets much safer. Mike explores how the car ‘sees’ and perceives the world – and how with the help of AI, it gets better the more it drives.
 
Although AI will create many exciting opportunities, advances in AI have raised fears – some justified, others not. With the help of expert guests, Mike talks us through some of the risks AI poses. He unpacks the very real danger of bias in AI, asking how we avoid creating AI that favours those who resemble its creators, and he explores the dangers of 'fake news' and how AI algorithms can lead to dangerous online 'echo chambers', helping to foment extreme views. Mike also demonstrates deepfake technology and asks if AI means we simply can’t trust our eyes any more?
 
The prospect of super-intelligent AI means that in the future we may be able to mobilise AI to uncover radical large-scale solutions to the biggest problems facing humanity, such as climate change. But we need to think carefully about what we want to let AI control. Could AI in charge of weapons accidentally begin wars – and present a risk to our survival? 
 
And, as AI gets ever more intelligent, how should we treat it? How does our audience feel about kicking an AI robot dog? This lecture addresses the big question of AI: can it ever truly be like us, or are humans unique?  As AI advances, it seems these ethical questions are destined to get ever more complex…  

The Christmas Lectures are the most prestigious event in the Royal Institution calendar, dating from 1825 when Michael Faraday founded the series. They are the world’s longest running science television series, and always promise to inspire and amaze each year through explosive demonstrations and interactive experiments with the live theatre audience.

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: 2023: Professor Mike Wooldridge - The Truth about AI

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Leading AI researcher Professor Mike Wooldridge tackles artificial intelligence.

Leading AI researcher Professor Mike Wooldridge tackles the most important and rapidly evolving field of science in the world today - artificial intelligence.

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Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

2023: Professor Mike Wooldridge - The Truth about AI

The Future of AI: Dream or a Nightmare?

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