Hardware Podcasts

408: Room In Your Heart for Your Robot

Embedded.fm · 31 Mar 2022 · 1h 09m · Episode 408

What this episode covers

S.B. Divya, a machine learning engineer and Nebula-nominated science fiction author, discusses her novel 'Machinehood,' which explores sentient AI, biotech, and the gig economy. She explains the distinction between weak and strong AI, her writing process for near-future speculative fiction, and the challenges of traditional publishing versus self-publishing. Divya also shares insights from her co-hosting of the EscapePod science fiction podcast and her transition from a 25-year career in tech to professional writing.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
iRobot, Google, Amazon, Apple, Medtronic, Masimo
Products
Machinehood, Runtime, Roomba, R2-D2
Also
EscapePod, Caltech, UCSD, Gotham University, Nature, SFWA, Kickstarter, Brandon Sanderson, William Gibson, Kurzweil

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Robot Talk · 28m

    Episode 78: Connecting science fiction and fact - Stephen Oram

    Stephen Oram, an author at Nudge the Future Fiction, discusses his work in applied science fiction, exploring the intersection of messy humans and imperfect technology through collaborations with institutions like the Bristol Robotics Lab and King's College London. He explains how his recent collection, Extracting Humanity, stems from projects involving weather AI and defense scenarios, aiming to highlight ethical issues and the experiences of vulnerable populations. Oram argues that near-future sci-fi serves as a crucial conversation tool to navigate the rapid pace of technological change, moving beyond simple aspiration to examine realistic, mundane integrations of robotics into daily life.

    AI & machine learningRobotics & autonomy
    8 chapters

  • The Next Byte Podcast · 28m

    104. Recapping 2022

    Hosts Daniel and Forbode recap their top four episodes from 2022, covering biomimicry inspired by dandelion seeds, AI curiosity models like DALL-E, wearable sleep apnea detection, and sustainable hydropower turbines. They discuss the ethical implications of generative AI, the challenges of explaining complex topics like reinforcement learning to a lay audience, and their podcast's growth metrics, including a shift in global listenership away from the US. The hosts also outline goals for 2023, such as improving community engagement, producing better swag, and rebranding the show.

    AI & machine learningConnected products & IoT
    6 chapters

  • Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 52m

    060 - The Brie List

    Hosts Alvaro and Jen celebrate the 5-year anniversary of the Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast with a retrospective on their personal and professional lives. Jen discusses her transition to voiceover work, her new role in research, and her ethical concerns regarding robotics, while Alvaro highlights the podcast's most popular episodes and the success of the Asahi Linux project. They also promote the book Open Circuits by Wendell and Eric, sharing a discount code for listeners.

    Creator businessRobotics & autonomy
    5 chapters

  • Over the Air · 32m

    Super Intelligence. Friend or Enemy?

    Daniel Hulme, CEO of Satalia (recently acquired by WPP), joins host Ryan Prosser of Very to discuss the reality of artificial intelligence versus the hype. Hulme argues that most current 'AI' is merely machine learning or automation, and true AI requires complex adaptive systems that can learn in production—a capability he claims does not yet exist at scale. The conversation covers the critical distinction between machine learning problems and decision problems, the role of IoT in enabling adaptive behavior, and the ethical implications of digital twins and biometric monitoring in the workplace.

    AI & machine learningConnected products & IoT
    8 chapters

  • How I Built This · 58m

    ICYMI... HIBT Lab! OpenAI: Sam Altman

    Sam Altman, co-founder of OpenAI and former president of Y Combinator, discusses the evolution of artificial intelligence from narrow tasks to the pursuit of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). He details OpenAI's structural shift from a nonprofit to a hybrid model to secure necessary capital, the strategic decision to keep powerful models like GPT-3 behind an API for safety control, and his vision for AI as a ubiquitous, helpful companion rather than just a job-replacing tool.

    AI & machine learningStarting a product company
    7 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Embedded.fm. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.