Episodes
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For a full, uncut video version of this show (shot in Professor Andreas' MIT CSAIL office!), watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBV5Bj_NnbA
MIT CSAIL Associate Professor Jacob Andreas walks listeners through how LLMs like ChatGPT evolved from academic curiosities to industry-disrupting technologies.
Reflecting on the transformations he has observed in AI research, Professor Andreas discusses how some ideas—like linking NLP research to cognitive science—have taken a backseat, while others—like the importance of large-scale training data—remain central.
He offers insights on AI use cases, the emergence of models like DeepSeek, and the critical role of human oversight in AI deployment. Acknowledging both the excitement and concerns surrounding AI, Professor Andreas believes that educators and industry alike face a challenge in keeping pace with the ‘moving target’ of AI progress.
Plus: learn how AI can be used to decode the language of sperm whales!
About the guest: Professor Andreas is an MIT EECS Associate Professor and CSAIL PI. Before joining MIT, he earned his PhD at Berkeley. His group's research focuses on three themes: building machine learning models that learn language in human-like ways, enabling the use of language as a general-purpose tool for building intelligent systems, and developing techniques for understanding machine learning models using language. His group envisions a future built around training, explaining, and interacting with intelligent systems for users of all the world's languages.
Learn more about Professor Jacob Andreas and his research here: https://www.mit.edu/~jda/
Want to know more about Professor Andreas' work on the language of sperm whales? Read here: https://news.mit.edu/2024/csail-ceti-explores-sperm-whale-alphabet-0507
MIT's CSAIL Alliances Podcast is your guide to how AI & computer science research impact how we live, work, play, and learn. Listener discounts, meet the host, and more: csail.mit.edu/podcast -
The MIT CSAIL Alliances Podcast is collaborating with MIT Sloan’s Me, Myself, and AI podcast to share a special bonus episode this month.
Paul Romer once considered himself the most optimistic economist. He rightfully predicted that technology would blow up as an economic driver coming out of the inflation of the 1970s, but acknowledges he did not foresee the inequality that technology advances would lead to.
On this episode of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast, Paul shares his views on AI advances and their implications for society. Rather than pave the way for full automation, he is a proponent of keeping humans in the loop and believes that technology can be pointed in a direction for more meaningful and beneficial use, citing education as an area ripe to benefit from AI.
More about CSAIL Alliances and our podcasts: csail.mit.edu/podcast
For more episodes from Me, Myself, and AI: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/audio-series/me-myself-and-ai/ -
Missing episodes?
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How AI will Change Your Job with MIT Economics Professor David Autor & The Potential of Self-Supervised Learning with CSAIL PhD Student Sharut Gupta
Host: Kara Miller
Part One: MIT Economics Professor David Autor says that AI is “not like a calculator where you just punch in the numbers and get the right answer. It's much harder to figure out how to be effective with it.” Offering unique insights into the future of work in an AI-powered world, Professor Autor explains his biggest worries, the greatest upside scenarios, and how he believes we should be approaching AI as a tool, and addresses how AI will impact jobs like nursing and skilled trades.
Studies and papers referenced in conversation:
AI and Product Innovation: https://aidantr.github.io/files/AI_innovation.p
AI and the Gender Gap: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4759218
Robotics and Nursing Homes:
https://www.nber.org/papers/w33116
Part Two: CSAIL PhD student Sharut Gutpa describes how self-supervised learning might bring about truly adaptable models which can respond to fast-changing environments, like consumer preferences.
CSAIL Alliances connects business and industry to the people and research of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Labs. Learn more about CSAIL Alliances here.
Each month, the CSAIL podcast features cutting-edge MIT and CSAIL experts discussing their current research, challenges and successes, as well as the potential impact of emerging tech. Learn more and listen to past episodes.
Connect with CSAIL Alliances:
On our site: https://cap.csail.mit.edu/about-us/meet-our-team
On X: x.com/csail_alliances
On LinkedIn: linkedIn.com/mit-CSAIL -
Have we achieved Artificial General Intelligence? MIT CSAIL Professor Manolis Kellis argues yes. Computers can do nearly every intellectual task that humans are capable of and are rapidly tackling the physical tasks. What does this mean for the future of AI integration, regulation, and development? Hear Professor Kellis’ ideas about how businesses can incorporate LLMs (large language models) to minimize silos, why we shouldn’t put up too many guardrails on AI technology, and how human-AI collaboration can lead to broader societal benefit, including healthcare. Professor Kellis is working toward a future where AI transforms healthcare through a deeper understanding of our individual genetics and targeted treatment development.
Visit Professor Kellis’s website to learn more about his work on AI and computational biology: https://www.csail.mit.edu/person/manolis-kellis -
Associate Professor Marzyeh Ghassemi discusses why, despite its tremendous potential for good, AI must be approached with caution, especially in high risk areas like healthcare. Biases in training data can perpetuate real-world inequalities, providers might rely too much on potentially faulty AI, and tools created for one demographic might not necessarily translate to a different population. However, considering the incredible potential of AI to tackle challenges in transformative ways, it’s worth approaching these considerations with rigorous academic insight. Learn more about her work here: https://www.csail.mit.edu/person/marzyeh-ghassemi
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This month’s podcast is a double feature. First up, Associate Professor and Chief Health AI Officer at the University of California San Diego Karandeep Singh explains the reality of using artificial intelligence for medicine. Professor Singh extrapolates on what works, what doesn’t, and how some challenges are social rather than technical.
Plus, MIT CSAIL’s Assistant Professor Andreea Bobu explains how large language models are advancing the field of robotics. Thanks to LLMs, giving directions to robots might soon look more like a conversation, without the need for step-by-step commands.
You can learn more about CSAIL research and access a full transcript of this podcast at https://cap.csail.mit.edu/.
To learn about CSAIL's Professional Development Courses, including the upcoming Cybersecurity for Technical Leaders and Deploying AI courses, visit here: cap.csail.mit.edu/events-professional-programs. Podcast listeners save 10% on courses with code MITXPOD10. -
Founding Director of the MIT Internet Policy Research Initiative CSAIL Senior Research Scientist Daniel Weitzner says a lack of visibility about how personal data is being used is leading to an erosion of customer trust. However, companies increasingly need to leverage data for analytic advantage, generative AI applications, and more. His research focuses on solutions which would empower consumers with visibility and control of their data, facilitating a future of accountability and trust. Hear more about his work here: https://www.csail.mit.edu/person/daniel-weitzner
Find out more about CSAIL Alliances, as well as a full transcript of this podcast, at: https://cap.csail.mit.edu/podcasts/how-companies-can-rebuild-trust-around-data-danny-weitzner?utm_source=alliancesmembers&utm_medium=pardot&utm_campaign=dannypod24
If you would like to learn more about CSAIL's Professional Development Courses, including the upcoming Driving Innovation with Generative AI, visit here: cap.csail.mit.edu/events-professional-programs. Podcast listeners save 10% on courses with code MITXPOD10. -
Professor of Finance at the MIT Sloan School of Management and CSAIL Andrew Lo believes AI can help everyday consumers make important financial decisions by democratizing access to quality finance advice. His research aims to address the challenges of deploying AI in finance by, for example, answering questions around responsibility and engaging with financial advisors to make sure such tools are useful in the field. Professor Lo is the faculty director for the FintechAI@CSAIL research initiative.
Find out more about CSAIL Alliances, as well as a full transcript of this podcast, at https://cap.csail.mit.edu/podcasts/how-ai-can-help-financial-decision-making-andrew-lo
If you would like to learn more about CSAIL's Professional Development Courses, including the upcoming Driving Innovation with Generative AI, visit here: cap.csail.mit.edu/events-professional-programs. Podcast listeners save 10% on courses with code MITXPOD10.
Looking for another great podcast? MIT Sloan Management Review’s "Me, Myself, and AI," expert hosts and researchers talk with AI leaders from organizations like NASA, Upwork, Github, and Meta to explore how organizations achieve success with generative AI — and what challenges and ethical considerations they face along the way. Listen to Me, Myself, and AI wherever you stream podcasts. https://link.chtbl.com/pxsEZ4pf?sid=CSAIL -
Princeton Professor Arvind Narayanan, author of "AI Snake Oil," sheds light on the stark contrast between the public perception and actual capabilities of AI. In this podcast, he explores the significant gap between the excitement surrounding AI and its current limitations. Find out more about CSAIL Alliances, as well as a full transcript of this podcast, at https://cap.csail.mit.edu/podcasts/current-state-ai-arvind-narayanan.
If you would like to learn more about CSAIL's Professional Development Courses, visit here: https://cap.csail.mit.edu/events-professional-programs. Podcast listeners save 10% on courses with code MITXPOD10. -
Associate Professor Stefanie Mueller, who leads the Human-Computer Interaction group at CSAIL, discusses her groundbreaking research using generative AI for 3D applications. Specifically she explains how generative AI can be combined with mechanical simulation to create stable and personalized 3D models. Find out more about CSAIL Alliances, as well as a full transcript of this podcast, at https://cap.csail.mit.edu.
If you would like to learn more about CSAIL's Professional Development Courses, visit here: https://cap.csail.mit.edu/events-professional-programs. Podcast listeners save 10% on courses with code MITXPOD10. -
MIT Professor Daniel Jackson, associate director of CSAIL and the author of The Essence of Software, argues that if your design is flawed, so is your product. In this podcast, Prof. Jackson shares some cases where software design makes or breaks big companies and what can be done to improve software design in the future. Find out more here: cap.csail.mit.edu.
If you would like to learn more about CSAIL's Professional Development Courses, visit here: https://cap.csail.mit.edu/events-professional-programs. Podcast listeners save 10% on courses with code MITXPOD10. -
This week on the CSAIL Alliances Podcast we’re joined by George Westerman, a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Founder of the Global Opportunity Initiative. Westerman discusses the future of AI, the opportunities it presents, as well as some potential pitfalls. Find out more about CSAIL Alliances, as well as a full transcript of this podcast at https://cap.csail.mit.edu/
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Today’s generative AI programs know how to write, compose music, and even create works of art. But it learned to do so by training on data made by human creators without asking their permission.
As independent artists and giant media companies bring their cases to court, the question is: will all this fundamentally change the human-AI relationship? This week’s podcast is a special crossover episode with our friends at Click Here; find out more about them here: https://therecord.media/podcast -
MIT CSAIL Professors Srini Devadas and Vinod Vaikuntanathan join the CSAIL Alliances Podcast for a conversation about cybersecurity, addressing topics from federated protocols, the importance of data-driven approaches, and how quantum computing could change the landscape. Find out more about Professor Devadas, Professor Vaikuntanathan and CSAIL Alliances here:
A transcript of this podcast is also available on the CSAIL Alliances website. -
On this episode of the CSAIL Alliances Podcast, hear from industry experts Andy Ellis (former Chief Security Officer at Akamai) and Amy Herzog (Chief Information Security Officer, Ads & Devices at Amazon) about what companies should be focused on in a changing security landscape. Ellis and Herzog discuss the role of AI, the future of security, and the importance of maintaining vigilance with existing protocols like email.
Find a full transcript of this podcast and more information at cap.csail.mit.edu -
CSAIL Director Professor Daniela Rus shares insights from her new book "The Heart and the Chip." Professor Rus discusses the past, present and future of how robots shape our lives. For more information on Professor Rus' new book, and to find a full transcript of this podcast please visit cap.csail.mit.edu
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CSAIL Professor Hal Abelson has a long history of looking at the importance of Computer Science education and helping shape its future. Listen as he joins Kara Miller in conversation to discuss how AI will shape education moving forward.
CORRECTION: Please note, the website in the outro of the podcast should be cap.csail.mit.edu.
A full transcript of this podcast will be available at cap.csail.mit.edu -
CSAIL's Dr. Neil Thompson joins Kara Miller for a conversation on how AI will affect the future of business. Dr. Thompson also shares insights into the race for computing power and how that competition is shaping the landscape of industry.
Find more about Dr. Neil Thompson and his research, as well as a transcript of this podcast at http://cap.csail.mit.edu/podcasts/ais-impact-future-work-neil-thompson. -
MIT Professor Thomas Malone sits down with Kara Miller for a discussion about the intersections of business and computer science.
Find a full transcript of this podcast and more at cap.csail.mit.edu -
MIT Professor Charles E. Leiserson discusses business, education, optimization and the end of Moore's Law with Kara Miller.
Find a full transcript of this podcast at cap.csail.mit.edu - Show more
