The Conversation Weekly podcast

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TechSurge: Deep Tech VC Podcast

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Understanding the Elegant Math Behind Modern Machine Learning 1:14:43

cách đây 5 ngày trước1:14:43

Nghe Sau

Danh sách

Thích

Đã thích

1:14:43

Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves? Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthroughs that have propelled machine learning from simple perceptrons to the sophisticated algorithms shaping today’s AI revolution, powering GPT and other models. The discussion aims to demystify some of the underlying math that powers modern machine learning to help everyone grasp this technology impacting our lives, even if your last math class was in high school. Anil walks us through the power of scaling laws, the shift from training to inference optimization, and the debate among AI’s pioneers about the road to AGI—should we be concerned, or are we still missing key pieces of the puzzle? The conversation also delves into AI’s philosophical implications—could understanding how machines learn help us better understand ourselves? And what challenges remain before AI systems can truly operate with agency? If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for exclusive insights and updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits. Links: Read Why Machines Learn, Anil’s latest book on the math behind AI https://www.amazon.com/Why-Machines-Learn-Elegant-Behind/dp/0593185749 Learn more about Anil Ananthaswamy’s work and writing https://anilananthaswamy.com/ Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s TED Talk on AI and intelligence https://www.ted.com/speakers/anil_ananthaswamy Discover the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship that shaped Anil’s AI research https://ksj.mit.edu/ Understand the Perceptron, the foundation of neural networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptron Read about the Perceptron Convergence Theorem and its significance https://www.nature.com/articles/323533a0…

The Conversation Weekly

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A show for curious minds. Join us each week as academic experts tell us about the fascinating discoveries they're making to understand the world, and the big questions they’re still trying to answer. A podcast fromhttps://theconversation.com/ ( The Conversation), hosted by Gemma Ware.

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The Conversation Weekly

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updated cách đây 7 ngày trước

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209 tập

#Science #News #Analysis #Context #Global #News Talk #Conversations #Experts

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The Conversation Weekly

1
Scam Factories Ep 3: Great Escapes 43:36

cách đây 7 ngày trước43:36

43:36

Every day that he was locked up in a scam compound in Southeast Asia, George thought about how to get out. "We looked for means of escaping, but it was hard," he said. Scam Factories is a podcast series taking you inside Southeast Asia's brutal fraud compounds. It accompanies a series of multimedia articles on The Conversation. In our third and final episode, Great Escapes, we find out the different ways survivors manage to escape, what it takes for them to get home, and what is being done to clamp down on the industry. The podcast series was written and produced by Gemma Ware with production assistance from Katie Flood and Mend Mariwany. Sound design by Michelle Macklem. Leila Goldstein was our producer in Cambodia and Halima Athumani recorded for us in Uganda. Hui Lin helped us with Chinese translation. Editing help from Justin Bergman and Ashlynee McGhee. Getting out of Southeast Asia's scam factories From empty fields to locked cities: the rise of a billion-dollar criminal industry ‘We could hear the screams until midnight’: life inside Southeast Asia’s brutal fraud compounds…

The Conversation Weekly

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Scam Factories Ep 2: Inside the operation 38:13

cách đây 8 ngày trước38:13

38:13

A few weeks after Ben Yeo travelled to Cambodia for what he thought was a job in a casino, he found himself locked up in a padded room. “It’s a combination between a prison and a madhouse,” he remembers. He was being punished for refusing to conduct online scams. Scam Factories is a podcast and multimedia series taking you inside Southeast Asia's brutal fraud compounds. The Conversation collaborated for this series with three researchers: Ivan Franceschini, a lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Melbourne, Ling Li, a PhD candidate at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, and Mark Bo, an independent researcher. In the second episode, Inside the Operation, we explore the history of how scam compounds emerged in Southeast Asia and who is behind them. We hear about the violent treatment people receive inside through the testimonies of two survivors, Ben, and another man we're calling George to protect his real identity. The podcast series was written and produced by Gemma Ware with production assistance from Katie Flood and Mend Mariwany. Sound design by Michelle Macklem. Leila Goldstein was our producer in Cambodia and Halima Athumani recorded for us in Uganda. Hui Lin helped us with Chinese translation. Editing help from Justin Bergman and Ashlynee McGhee. Rise of an industry: part 2 of Scam Factories Locked in: the inside story of Southeast Asia's fraud compounds…

The Conversation Weekly

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Scam Factories Ep 1: No skills required 32:55

cách đây 9 ngày trước32:55

32:55

Scam factories is a special three-part series taking you inside Southeast Asia's brutal fraud compounds. Hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to work in these scam factories. Many were trafficked there and forced into criminality by defrauding people around the world. The Conversation collaborated for this series with three researchers: Ivan Franceschini, a lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Melbourne, Ling Li, a PhD candidate at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, and Mark Bo, an independent researcher. In episode 1, our researchers travel to a village in Cambodia called Chrey Thom to see what these compounds look like. And we hear from two survivors about how they were recruited into compounds in Laos and Myanmar. The podcast series was written and produced by Gemma Ware with production assistance from Katie Flood and Mend Mariwany. Sound design by Michelle Macklem. Leila Goldstein was our producer in Cambodia and Halima Athumani recorded for us in Uganda. Hui Lin helped us with Chinese translation. Editing help from Justin Bergman and Ashlynee McGhee. Locked in: the inside story of Southeast Asia's fraud compounds…

The Conversation Weekly

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Tariffs: the winners and losers 29:58

cách đây 12 ngày trước29:58

29:58

As the Trump administration ratchets up its threat to slap tariffs on allies and economic rivals alike, the world is bracing for another wave of costly economic disruption. This protectionist shift is all the more remarkable given how the US championed trade liberalisation for decades. So what does it actually take for a country to use protectionism to grow its economy? Some developing countries have successfully used tariffs to do so, while others have struggled. In this episode, we talk to Jostein Hauge , a development economist at the University of Cambridge in the UK, about who wins and who loses from tariffs and protectionism. This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Mend Mariwany with assistance from Katie Flood and Gemma Ware. Sound design was by Michelle Macklem, and theme music by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. Further reading: How protectionism can help developing countries unlock their economic potential Tariffs are back in the spotlight, but skepticism of free trade has deep roots in American history Trump’s tariff gambit: As allies prepare to strike back, a costly trade war looms Will Trump’s tariffs boost the US economy? Don’t count on it…

The Conversation Weekly

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How does decentralised social media work? 27:17

cách đây 19 ngày trước27:17

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Since Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter in 2022, many users have looked for alternatives, fuelling a wave of online migration from the social media platform. How do alternative platforms such as Mastodon or Bluesky differ from traditional social media, and what does the future hold for these online spaces? In this episode, we speak to Robert Gehl , Ontario Research Chair of Digital Governance at York University, Canada, about the evolving landscape of decentralised social media. This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Mend Mariwany with assistance from Katie Flood and Gemma Ware, Sound design was by Michelle Macklem, and theme music by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. Further reading: Bluesky isn’t the ‘new Twitter,’ but its resemblance to the old one is drawing millions of new users Decline of X is an opportunity to do social media differently – but combining ‘safe’ and ‘profitable’ will still be a challenge…

The Conversation Weekly

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Where support for Germany’s far-right AFD is growing and why 36:49

cách đây 26 ngày trước36:49

36:49

As Germany heads towards elections on February 23, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) is polling in second place on 20% of the national vote. The AFD's roots are in nationalistic and racist movements. It continues to take an ultra anti-immigration stance and is calling for "demigration" – effectively the deportation of migrants. In this episode, Rolf Frankenberger, an expert on right-wing extremism at the University of Tübingen in Germany, talks to Laura Hood, senior politics editor at The Conversation, about where the AFD draws its support from and what type of Germany it wants to return to. This episode was Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up for The Conversation Europe's newsletter to get the best from our European scholars in a weekly digest. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. Further reading: What happened in the German parliament and why is the far right hailing it as a ‘historic’ moment? The far-right is rising at a crucial time in Germany, boosted by Elon Musk AfD: how Germany’s constitution was designed with the threat of extremism in mind…

The Conversation Weekly

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How close are quantum computers to being really useful? 30:09

cách đây 5 weeks trước30:09

30:09

Quantum computers have the potential to solve big scientific problems that are beyond the reach of today’s most powerful supercomputers, such as discovering new antibiotics or developing new materials. But to achieve these breakthroughs, quantum computers will need to perform better than today’s best classical computers at solving real-world problems. And they’re not quite there yet. So what is still holding quantum computing back from becoming useful? We speak to quantum computing expert Daniel Lidar at the University of Southern California in the US about what problems scientists are still wrestling with when it comes to scaling up quantum computing, and how close they are to overcoming them. This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Katie Flood with production assistance from Mend Mariwany and sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading: What is quantum advantage? A quantum computing scientist explains an approaching milestone marking the arrival of extremely powerful computers We’re getting closer to having practical quantum computers – here’s what they will be used for Quantum computers are like kaleidoscopes − why unusual metaphors help illustrate science and technology…

The Conversation Weekly

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A wildfire warning from California's Ice Age past 23:57

cách đây 6 weeks trước23:57

23:57

Firefighters in Los Angeles continue to battle devastating wildfires that have killed at least 27 people and left thousands of homes destroyed. Today, we’re revisiting an interview we ran in late 2023 with Emily Lindsey, a paleoecologist who works at the La Brea tar pits archaeological site in Los Angeles, about a wildfire warning from southern California’s ice age history. The interview originally aired in November 2023. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood. Sound design was by Eloise Stevens and Michelle Macklem. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading: Human use of fire has produced an era of uncontrolled burning: Welcome to the Pyrocene A changing climate, growing human populations and widespread fires contributed to the last major extinction event − can we prevent another? How Santa Ana winds fueled the deadly fires in Southern California…

The Conversation Weekly

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Silicon Valley’s bet on a future of AI-enabled warfare 32:25

cách đây 7 weeks trước32:25

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From Gaza to Ukraine, today’s war zones are being used as testing grounds for new systems driven by artificial intelligence. Billions of dollars are now being pumped into AI weapons technology, much of it from Silicon Valley venture capitalists. In this episode, we speak to Elke Schwarz , a reader in political theory at Queen Mary University of London in the UK who studies the ethics of autonomous weapons systems, about what this influx of new investment means for the future of warfare. This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading: The Silicon Valley venture capitalists who want to ‘move fast and break things’ in the defence industry Gaza war: Israel using AI to identify human targets raising fears that innocents are being caught in the net War in Ukraine accelerates global drive toward killer robots…

The Conversation Weekly

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How the world fell in love with plastic without thinking through the consequences 29:12

cách đây 8 weeks trước29:12

29:12

Every year, 400 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide, and every year, approximately 57 million tons of plastic waste is created. And yet in November, the latest round of negotiations to agree the first legally binding international treaty on plastics pollution collapsed. So what can we really do about the plastics pollution problem? In this episode we sat down with Mark Miodowonik , professor of materials and society at UCL in the UK, to understand the history of plastic, how it’s shaped our lives, and what can be done to make sure more plastic is recycled and less ends up polluting the planet. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood and Gemma Ware with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading: Can you trust companies that say their plastic products are recyclable? US regulators may crack down on deceptive claims The plastic recycling system is broken – here’s how we can fix it If plastic manufacturing goes up 10%, plastic pollution goes up 10% – and we’re set for a huge surge in production Time is running out for a treaty to end plastic pollution – here’s why it matters…

The Conversation Weekly

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Brain implants, agentic AI and answers on dark matter: what to expect from science in 2025 37:56

cách đây 9 weeks trước37:56

37:56

In a special episode to start 2025, we’ve brought together three science editors from The Conversation’s editions around the world to discuss what to look out for in the world of science and technology in the coming year. Host Gemma Ware is joined by Paul Rincon from The Conversation in the UK, Elsa Couderc from The Conversation in France and Signe Dean from The Conversation in Australia. This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Katie Flood with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading and listening Has Nasa found evidence of ancient life on Mars? An expert examines the latest discovery Several companies are testing brain implants – why is there so much attention swirling around Neuralink? Two professors unpack the ethical issues Nuclear fusion record broken – what will it take to start generating electricity? Podcast Quantum computers are like kaleidoscopes − why unusual metaphors help illustrate science and technology…

The Conversation Weekly

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How Zimbabwe reached the point of abolishing the death penalty 26:06

cách đây 11 weeks trước26:06

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Zimbabwe is on the cusp of abolishing the death penalty after its Death Penalty Abolition Bill was approved by the senate on December 12. The bill is now sitting on the desk of Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, a known opponent of the death penalty, waiting for his assent. In this episode, we speak to two experts on the death penalty, Carolyn Hoyle and Parvais Jabbar from the University of Oxford's Death Penalty Research Unit, who explain how Zimbabwe got here and what abolition means for both the country, and the continent. This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading Zimbabwe’s likely to abolish the death penalty: how it got here and what it means for the continent Kenyan prisoners on death row weren’t deterred by the threat of the death penalty: new research findings Why the death penalty is losing favour in sub-Saharan Africa…

The Conversation Weekly

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Why distrust in powerful politicians is part of a functioning democracy 27:41

cách đây 12 weeks trước27:41

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Surveys suggest that in many western democracies, political trust is at rock bottom. But is it really such a bad thing for people living in a democracy to distrust their government? In this episode, we talk to political scientist Grant Duncan , visiting scholar in politics at City St George's, University of London, about why he thinks a certain level of distrust and scepticism of powerful politicians is actually healthy for democracy. And about how populists, like Donald Trump, manage to use people’s distrust in political elites to their advantage. This episode was written and produced by Gemma Ware, Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading Don’t trust politicians? That may not be such a bad thing Why people vote for politicians they know are liars Trusting societies are overall happier – a happiness expert explains why…

The Conversation Weekly

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How do animals understand death? 26:43

cách đây 13 weeks trước26:43

26:43

An orca that pulled along the corpse of its baby for 17 days. An opposum that plays dead to fool predators. And a chimpanzee that cleaned the teeth of its dead baby. Observations of behaviours like these suggest animals have a complex relationship with death. In this week’s episode, we speak to Susana Monsó , an associate professor of philosophy at the National Distance Education University in Madrid, Spain, about the different ways animals understand death. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood with sound design by Michelle Macklem and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading Los animales entienden la muerte más de lo que se pensaba What the grieving mother orca tells us about how animals experience death Elephant calves have been found buried – what does that mean?…

The Conversation Weekly

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The story of one Amazon warehouse in the UK that pushed to unionise 32:58

cách đây 14 weeks trước32:58

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The online retail giant Amazon is known for its resistance to unions. In this week’s episode, we tell the story of what happened at one warehouse in Coventry in the UK when its workers tried to gain official recognition for the GMB union, one of the country’s biggest labour unions. We talk to Tom Vickers , a sociologist at Nottingham Trent University in the UK, who spent weeks observing workers’ efforts to unionise at the warehouse as part of a research secondment with the GMB. And John Logan , a professor of labor and employment Studies at San Francisco State University in the US, explains why some companies, many of them American, are so doggedly anti-union. The episode also includes an introduction from Sarah Reid, business and economy editor at The Conversation in the UK. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood with sound design by Michelle Macklem and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading: I spent months with Amazon workers in Coventry before they narrowly voted against unionising. This is what I learned Amazon still seems hell bent on turning workers into robots – here’s a better way forward Amazon, Starbucks and the sparking of a new American union movement…

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