SHIFT

The infrastructure underpinning the internet is increasingly under threat, but how many of us stop to consider how or why the internet works? We Meet: Internet Society President & CEO Andrew Sullivan ICANN Interim President & CEO Sally Costerton Credits: This episode of SHIFT was produced by Jennifer Strong and Emma Cillekens, and it was mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him a...

Activists are fighting back against generative AI and reclaiming a misunderstood label in the process, says Brian Merchant in a new piece for The Atlantic. We Meet: Tech Journalist & Author Brian Merchant Credits: This episode of SHIFT was produced by Jennifer Strong and Emma Cillekens, and it was mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski. Art by Anthony Green.

Software can make it easier for people to file their own taxes, but what if you have a question? Would you trust generative AI to give you the answer?   We Meet: H&R Block VP of Technology Aditya Thadani Credits: This episode of SHIFT was produced by Jennifer Strong and Emma Cillekens, and it was mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski. Art by Anthony Green.

An analysis by Consumer Reports suggests that every person on Facebook is being monitored by thousands of companies, but new tools and laws are starting to make it easier for people to take back their privacy. This episode was recorded in New York City at an event hosted by the responsible tech nonprofit All Tech Is Human. We Meet: Consumer Reports R&D Director Ginny Fahs New York Times Contri...

Artists are starting to use AI to fight back against AI with free tools that let visual artists deter–even poison–AI models that use their work without permission. We Meet: Carl Franzen, Head of News at VentureBeat Credits: This episode of SHIFT was produced by Jennifer Strong and Emma Cillekens, and it was mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

A new study explores how an AI model that’s been taught to lie might be brought back into line. We Meet: Brown University Professor of Computer Science Michael Littman Credits: This episode of SHIFT was produced by Jennifer Strong and Emma Cillekens, and mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

In the latest installment of our oral history project we meet one of the central figures behind generative coding tools. We Meet: GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke Credits: SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green, with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

In the latest installment of our oral history project we meet one of the key figures behind Rwanda’s national AI policies. We Meet: Esther Kunda, Director General, Innovation & Emerging Technologies for Rwanda’s Ministry of Information Communication Technology and Innovation Credits: SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green, with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lan...

In the latest installment of our oral history project we meet Ryan Graciano, a co-founder of the personal finance company, Credit Karma. We Meet: Ryan Graciano, Co-founder & CTO of Credit Karma Credits: SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green, with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski, with special thanks this week to...

As this year draws to a close we’re bringing you a look at the tech trends we’ll be watching in 2024. We Meet: Deloitte’s Chief Futurist Mike Bechtel Credits: SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong, Anthony Green, and Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

Language translation increasingly falls to artificial intelligence—but AI still doesn’t speak many of the world’s languages. We Meet: Vasco Pedro, CEO, Unbabel Paulo Dimas, VP Product Innovation, Unbabel Pelonomi Moiloa, CEO, Lelapa AI Credits: SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong, Anthony Green, and Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

In this third installment of our oral history project we meet a man working to build edtech programs in under-resourced languages for children without access to traditional schooling. His company, Taleemabad, was awarded the WISE award in 2021 and has been recognized by Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai and the late Queen Elizabeth. We Meet: Haroon Yasin, the Co-founder & CEO of Taleemabad Credi...

Potentially a quarter billion children worldwide lack access to an education. Advances in education tech and AI programs for learning can help students who have access to tools and internet. This episode, we bring you a conversation with members of the International Rescue Committee, an aid group developing tailored learning experiences for children in crisis. It was taped before a live audience a...

In this second installment of our oral history project we meet a man trying to solve AI’s black box problem with symbolic AI, a subfield that communicates how decisions are made. We Meet: Casper Wilstrup, the Founder & CEO of Abzu Credits: SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green, with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gor...

In an increasingly digital world, ensuring equitable access to broadband and digital tools has become a pressing societal issue—particularly within the Black community. This episode, a conversation moderated by our show’s co-creator and senior producer, Anthony Green. It was taped in front of a live audience at The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, DC. We Meet: Dr. Nic...

Privacy officers from Google, Microsoft, Meta and IBM discuss how they approach AI governance before a live audience at the general meeting of the IAPP (International Association of Privacy Professionals) on November 3, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.  We Meet: Julie Brill, Chief Privacy Officer, Corporate Vice President, Global Privacy & Regulatory Affairs, Microsoft Keith Enright, Global Chie...

We explore what impact the U.S. President's executive order on artificial intelligence might have as governments across the globe move to regulate AI. We Meet: Khari Johnson, senior writer, Wired Suresh Venkatasubramanian, director of the Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination, and Redesign with the Data Science Institute at Brown University Credits: SHIFT is produced by Jennifer S...

The hardest part of making something in space right now might just be getting it back to Earth. A conversation with Quartz’s Tim Fernholz about the opportunities and challenges of making goods in orbit.

In the first installment of our oral history project we meet the woman overseeing Airbnb's efforts to build an anti-party AI system to try to combat fraud and stop bad actors from using the company’s platform. We Meet: Naba Banerjee, head of trust and safety at Airbnb Credits: SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green, with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with ori...

Stanford University measured the transparency of top AI foundation models–all failed. The researchers are urging companies to reveal more information such as the data and human labor used to train these models. We Meet: Karen Hao, contributing writer at The Atlantic Credits: SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green, with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with origi...

We take you to the heart of New York City’s manufacturing center, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, for a conversation about AI ethics and geopolitics. It’s taped in front of a live audience of students and manufacturing experts at a factory owned by Nanotronics - a company that manufactures hardware and software capable of working on a nanometer scale - during Manufacturing Week. We Meet: John Paul Farmer,...

We hop into the backseat of a police car and learn how officers in Rwanda have adopted and deployed AI on the streets of its capital city, Kigali. We Meet: Chief Inspector of Police Paul Ryamugwiza, director of traffic and road enforcement systems for Rwanda National Police Credits: The show is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang,...

Advances in off the shelf commercial technologies have helped manufacturers build complex war machines at much lower prices. It’s changed how drone combat works and who can wage it. This episode, we examine the implications on international security and everyday life. We Meet: Abishur Prakash, Founder & CEO of The Geopolitical Business Lorenz Meier, Founder & CEO of Auterion Credits: The s...

Tech companies and investors openly discuss the shifting role of soil in climate-proofing the world’s complex food systems in this live episode taped in front of an audience at New York Climate Week. We Meet: Shely Aronov, CEO of Innerplant Avantika Daing, Managing Partner, Plum Alley and General Partner, Plum Alley Venture Fund Ana Pavlovic, Chief Commercial Officer at Eion Carbon Sara Eckhouse,...

It’s been six months since an open letter signed by many of the biggest names in AI called for a temporary pause on the development of certain types of the tech. This episode, we speak with AI luminary Gary Marcus about what's changed since the letter was published, what hasn’t, and how he’s thinking about the way forward. We Meet: Gary Marcus, scientist and entrepreneur Credits: SHIFT is produced...