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The Joy of AI

Documentary. Jim Al-Khalili takes a look at how we've created machines that can simulate, augment, and even outperform the human mind - and why this shouldn't spook us.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili looks at how we have created machines that can simulate, augment, and even outperform the human mind - and why we shouldn't let this spook us.

He reveals the story of the pursuit of AI, the emergence of machine learning and the recent breakthroughs brought about by artificial neural networks. He shows how AI is not only changing our world but also challenging our very ideas of intelligence and consciousness.

Along the way, we'll investigate spam filters, meet a cutting-edge chatbot, look at why a few altered pixels makes a computer think it's looking at a trombone rather than a dog and talk to Demis Hassabis, who heads DeepMind and whose stated mission is to 'solve intelligence, and then use that to solve everything else'. Stephen Hawking remarked 'AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilisation. Or the worst'.

Jim argues that AI is a potent new tool that should enhance our lives, not replace us.

59 minutes

Last on

Wed 30 Jun 2021 21:00
BBC Four

Clips

See all clips from The Joy of AI (4)

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:38

    Richard Strauss

    Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30

  • 00:43

    Splounge

    Funky Snail

Credits

Presenter Jim Al-Khalili
Director Dan Hillman
Executive Producer Deborah Lee
Executive Producer Archie Baron
Production Company Wingspan Productions

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