What does it take to build technology for good? Journey into the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence with Raffi Krikorian, Chief Technology Officer of Emerson Collective as he unpacks how this transformational technology can be developed and deployed with society’s best interests at its core. Raffi engages experts in the field—technologists, historians, venture capitalists, and government officials—on how to harness the incredible potential of AI while mitigating its risks.
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The future is unknown, but we are technically optimistic.

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The artificial intelligence landscape is filled with opportunity and risk. On the one hand, AI holds the promise of productivity, accessibility, and medical marvels. On the other, AI is feared as a threat to our social fabric. Depending on who you listen to, AI is either our path to a renaissance or the road to our ruin.
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The outcome is in the balance, which is why in the first episode of Technically Optimistic, host Raffi Krikorian speaks with John Markoff, journalist and author, about the history of AI; Suresh Venkatasubramanian, coauthor of the White House’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and professor of computer science at Brown, about ethics; and Adrienne LaFrance, executive editor of The Atlantic, about AI’s impact on society. 
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In this wide-ranging episode, Krikorian, Emerson Collective’s Chief Technology Officer, explores the nuances and subtleties of the technological revolution we’re living through—to ask probing questions about the changes underway and understand what may happen and why it matters.

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[Podcast 3x4] Technically Optimistic Episode 1

AI is at a crossroads. How did we get here?

https://res.cloudinary.com/dapibcwcy/image/upload/v1687985546/cdn/Podcast/Technically%20Optimistic/Transcripts/Technically-Optimistic-Transcript-Ep1.pdf

Historically, Silicon Valley has managed to perform a delicate dance with regulation. However, the explosive growth of artificial intelligence has brought forth an urgent question: given what we know about privacy, social media, data security, and so much else, should we regulate this technology this time around?
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In this two-part episode of Technically Optimistic, we delve into questions of power and what it would take to create guardrails for AI to ensure a prosperous and safe society. What is the balance of society, technology, and the law? What are the rules of the road, and who gets to write them? To address these questions, host Raffi Krikorian talks to Tristan Harris, founder of the Center for Humane Technology; human rights activist Sam Gregory, founder of Witness; Suresh Venkatasubramanian, professor of computer science; and Meredith Broussard, author and data scientist. Together, they explore the big, thorny questions of responsibility, privacy, creativity, and risk.

[Podcast 3x4] Technically Optimistic Episode 2

Part 1: Rules of the Road: Who has the power to regulate AI?

https://res.cloudinary.com/dapibcwcy/image/upload/v1689022471/cdn/Podcast/Technically%20Optimistic/Transcripts/Technically-Optimistic-Transcript-Ep2-Part1.pdf

The questions we face around who can govern AI are complex. If we want to reap the rewards of this technology, what – if any – regulatory solutions are needed to offer us the best outcomes? And who has the power to set these new rules in motion? 
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In Part 2 of this two-part episode of Technically Optimistic, we talk with the diverse thinkers who are proposing ways forward for AI governance and explore whether these solutions allow for innovative possibilities while also mitigating potential harm. What kinds of governance can we expect in the future, and how far from reality are our most idealistic proposals? Most importantly: is regulation even the best solution? To address these questions, host Raffi Krikorian talks to U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO); Tristan Harris, founder of the Center for Humane Technology; Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-CA); Phil Howard, Oxford professor and member of the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE); Ian Bremmer, author and political scientist; and Suresh Venkatasubramanian, professor of computer science. Together, they explore what it might mean to codify a regulatory system that creates safety without stifling ingenuity.


[Podcast 3x4] Technically Optimistic Episode 3

Part 2 - Rules of the Road: What might regulating AI look like?

https://res.cloudinary.com/dapibcwcy/image/upload/v1689367372/cdn/Podcast/Technically%20Optimistic/Transcripts/Technically-Optimistic-Transcript-Ep2-Part2.pdf

Can we use AI as a tool that enriches learning, rather than replacing it? We're seeing AI rapidly revolutionize the classroom and it's poised to completely transform both education and learning itself. But, how can we also ensure that everyone has access to the basics of tech and AI literacy so that we can all, every one of us, reap the benefits of AI and understand its nuances?
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In this episode, we explore the potential of AI to enrich learning, and discuss how we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from this technology with student advocate Sneha Revanur; Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy; Pat Yongpradit, Director of Education at [code.org](https://code.org "https://code.org"); Teemu Roos, professor at the University of Helsinki and leader of the AI Education program at the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence; and machine learning pioneer Professor Tom Mitchell. Together, they discuss the ways in which AI will shape education—and future generations.

[Podcast 3x4] Technically Optimistic Episode 4

What Does AI have to teach us?

Education and AI: What does AI have to teach us?

https://res.cloudinary.com/dapibcwcy/image/upload/v1690044500/cdn/Podcast/Technically%20Optimistic/Transcripts/Technically-Optimistic-Transcript-Ep4.pdf

We often speak about the AI revolution as though it were something that might happen in the far future. But, what about today, when AI is modifying our culture, society, and the economy as we speak? In this episode, we consider how AI is currently creating massive shifts, and the potential benefits and challenges we face right now. 
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Is AI revitalizing the economy, or is it on track to displace countless workers? Will AI render filmmakers and writers obsolete, or are we at the beginning of a modern-day cultural renaissance? And is AI being used to help preserve Indigenous cultures, or is it a tool to harvest their data for corporate gain? 
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To address these questions, host Raffi Krikorian speaks with Erik Brynjolfsson, Director of the Digital Economy Lab; Justine Bateman, actor, director, writer and producer; Ari Melenciano, artist and creative technologist; and Keolu Fox, assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego and co-founder and co-director of the Indigenous Futures Institute. Together, they chart a path to help us navigate AI in the current moment.

[Podcast 3x4] Technically Optimistic Episode 5

On Strike! How will AI impact the economy, culture, and the future of creativity?

https://res.cloudinary.com/dapibcwcy/image/upload/v1690572928/cdn/Podcast/Technically%20Optimistic/Transcripts/Technically_Optimistic_Transcript_-_Episode_5.pdf

In the final episode of our limited series on AI, we look at the big issues of accountability and responsibility. How should we allocate the responsibilities for managing this technology? Who will decide when AIs are doing more harm than good? Will we be looking to private companies or depending on public servants? And what will be left for individual citizens to decide?
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To help unlock solutions to the growing challenge of AI responsibility, host Raffi Krikorian speaks with Maria Ressa, Nobel Prize-winning journalist and co-founder of Rappler; scientist and inventor Rosalind Picard from MIT’s Media Lab; James Manyika, Senior Vice President of Research, Technology, and Society at Google; Kyunghyun Cho, Professor of Computer Science and Data Science at New York University; Stanford Internet Observatory Research Manager Renee DiResta; and Professor and data journalist Meredith Broussard. Together, they discuss different approaches to AI responsibility, and look at what the future could hold for ethical accountability.


[Podcast 3x4] Technically Optimistic Episode 6

AI and Accountability: Who is responsible for managing AI?

https://res.cloudinary.com/dapibcwcy/image/upload/v1691194507/cdn/Podcast/Technically%20Optimistic/Transcripts/Technically_Optimistic_Transcript_-_Episode_6.pdf

How has our data become the world’s most valuable resource?  What privacy tradeoffs are we making when we engage with personalized apps, recommendations, and always-connected smart devices? Is our personal data being used to make things better, or to make tech giants even more powerful? And what do “cookies” have to do with all this?
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Host Raffi Krikorian chats with experts about data’s role in AI, “big data” and the data economy, surveillance capitalism, and much more. Guests include AI researcher Amba Kak, executive director of the AI Now Institute; data scientist Chris Wiggins, co-author of How Data Happened; media scholar, tech writer, and internet activist Ethan Zuckerman; engineer and inventor of the cookie Lou Montulli; and Harvard professor Jonathan Zittrain. 


[Podcast 3x4] Technically Optimistic Episode 8

How your behavior became the world’s biggest resource

https://res.cloudinary.com/dapibcwcy/image/upload/v1713982059/cdn/Podcast/Technically%20Optimistic/Transcripts/Technically_Optimistic_Transcript_-S2_Episode_1.pdf

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