A.i. Meets World

 From detecting breast cancer in x-ray scans, to predicting emergency room volumes, to alerting governments to a potential pandemic, AI has become a critical tool in the healthcare industry. But how reliable is this technology, and how much should we depend on it when human lives are at risk?                Avery speaks with Microsoft's Chief Data Analytics Officer, John Kahan on whether the field of medicine can safely keep pace with the speed of technological innovation, and then talks with the Deputy Chief of Emergency Medicine, and Medical Director of Information and Technology at Toronto's St. Michael's hospital, Dr. Alun Ackery on how AI is being used day to day in a hospital setting.   

Over the last few years, countless companies and organizations are getting wise to the fact that diverse teams perform better, and that AI may have a role to play when it comes to dismantling bias, and building a more inclusive and equitable workforce. But what are the risks of trusting an algorithm to assemble a team?                                     Avery speaks with tech founder Sinead Bovell on whether it's actually possible to create neutral AI. She also speaks to Microsoft's Chief Diversity Officer, Lindsay-Rae McIntyre on the relationship between human judgment and technology when it comes to hiring, and then talks to the CEO and Founder of Plum.io, Caitlin MacGregor on how her company is using technology to help employers reach their diversity and inclusion goals.

Whether it's unlocking your phone with your face, or sorting through pictures of your friends, chances are you've interacted with facial recognition technology over the last few years. And while facial recognition tech makes our lives more organized and convenient, it can also be used in concerning ways.Avery speaks with Microsoft Canada's Chief Technology Officer, John Weigelt on Microsoft's principaled stance on the use of Facial Recognition Technology. She then chats with tech law expert Dr. Michael Geist on the consequences of "opting in" to photo apps, and finally talks with the Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, Bianca Wylie on why "data trusts" could be the key to navigating complex issues of consent in the tech world.

According to a recent study by Deloitte, the majority of Canadians don’t trust A.I. But where does that distrust come from, and what are the repercussions of letting it stifle A.I. innovation?To get the answers, Avery speaks with former co-CEO of Research In Motion Jim Balsillie about the social and economic consequences of Canadians failing to embrace A.I, and then talks with Microsoft’s Head of A.I. Policy and Ethics, Tim O’Brien to try and understand our inherent fear of artificial intelligence. And while we’re on topic, we also ask about one of the most infamous A.I. learning experiences in recent memory  - What exactly happened with Tay in 2016? " 

In season 1 of A.I. Meets World, we explored the many ways that Artificial Intelligence is benefiting our society. But recent studies show that Canadians still have concerns. Season 2 of A.I. Meets World is all about asking the experts the tough questions when it comes to AI and public trust: How will AI affect privacy? Is AI innovation at odds with public safety? Will AI help or hinder the shift to a more equitable society? Join tech author and founder Avery Swartz as she guides listeners on a four-episode journey, examining the potential of AI, trying to understand why Canadians don’t trust it, and envisioning a society that leverages AI for good.

We talk about how millennials are technology-obsessed ‘digital natives’, but what will these advancements mean for the future generation of workers who are “AI natives”? Becky and Navneet talk to Navid Nathoo, of the Knowledge Society, an accelerator program for tech-savvy young people, and Marat Kristal, the soon-to-be head of Schulich’s Masters of Management in AI program. How do we support the current workforce in developing skills to keep up? And how do we prepare our young people for a future we can’t even imagine yet?

When it comes to our biggest health challenges, we could use some help...enter, AI. This episode, Becky and Navneet talk to UHN cancer researcher Benjamin Haibe-Kains, and SickKids’ chair of AI, Anna Goldenberg and look at the ways AI is revolutionizing diagnostics, surgery, and even personalized cancer treatment. Plus, they dig into just when we can look forward to diagnostic tricorders at your local clinic.

AI is already all around us - predicting that next word in your text or email and helping companies communicate with their customer base. Today, Becky and Navneet tackle AI and Communication, with help from Ken Kocienda, a developer of your friend-or-foe, autocorrect, and Arul Menezes, head of Microsoft’s revolutionary Machine Translation efforts. Is AI changing the way we communicate for better, or worse?

Movies like Robocop and Gattica paint AI a certain way, but in reality, the story is quite a bit more complex. Becky and Navneet talk hackers with Microsoft’s Alex Simons, biometric innovations with FIDO Alliance’s Stephanie Schuckers and imagine a world beyond the username and password.

In sci-fi, AI is often a negative force - but what if reality is the opposite? In this episode, Becky and Navneet explore the ways scientists are using AI technology to innovate in the fight against climate change. They talk to scientist Curtis Berlinguette about his autonomous AI lab, “ADA,” and Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Officer, Lucas Joppa about the “AI for Earth” campaign. Bonus: They even get to chat with grantee Heather Lynch about the art of AI penguin tracking.    

How is a Roomba like Rosie from the Jetsons? How close are we to using AI to help people with disabilities? And what does the future of business looks like when assistants are digital? In the first episode of AI Meets World, hosts Becky Shrimpton and Navneet Alang explore the world of AI personal assistants. They hear from Microsoft’s Saqib Shaikh, a blind engineer who launched the app Seeing AI to help the visually impaired. They also speak to Roy Pereira, the CEO and founder of Zoom.ai about using AI to tackle administrative work.              

From the Jetsons to the Terminator, our expectations of AI looked very different 20 or even 10 years ago. Now that we’re starting to see some of the fruits of our AI labour, it’s time to ask: Are we achieving what we’ve set out to do?  Join pop culture aficionado Becky Shrimpton and tech journalist Navneet Alang as they attempt to understand AI, where it is today and imagine where it's going next.