Artificial Intelligence In Industry With Dan Faggella

Dr. Bruce MacLennan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK), as well as past editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Nanotechnology and Molecular Computation. His research in natural computation has led to active, interdisciplinary involvement in the fields of neuroscience, cognitive science, and philosophy. In this episode, Bruce discusses how studying the mind has influenced, and will continue to influence, the development of artificial intelligence. In a largely digital world, he turns a clarifying light on the topic of digital versus analog computing, and articulates on how the latter may be making a slow comeback in the wake of discoveries in neural information processing.

Dr. Peter Boltuc has a PhD in Philosophy and is currently a Professor at University of Illinois Springfield.  His background in Moral and Political Philosophy has leveraged his research into the subjectivity of moral experience and the moral implications of machine consciousness. In this episode, Peter discusses whether machines could ever be granted consciousness.  He believes, hypothetically, that we could create such machines, and elaborates from an ethical perspective on why we may want to “curve moral space” in a way that values human-level sentience and moves us toward living harmoniously with such machines.

Dr. Gary Marcus is the Director of the NYU Center for Language and Music, and Professor of Psychology at New York University, and is author of well known books such as The Birth of the Mind, The Algebraic Mind: Integrating Connectionism and Cognitive Science, and the New York Times Editor’s Choice called Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind.   In this episode, Dr. Marcus gives us some insight as to what the brain is good and bad at, and why - in addition to what this might imply for the future of human enhancement.

Dr. Joanne Pransky received her doctorate from Tufts University in the mid 1980’s, and began championing public awareness and exposure to robotics and AI technology, playfully calling herself the “first robot psychiatrist.” Since then, she’s been featured on CNN, The Discovery Channel, the Sci-Fi Channel, and even the Tonight Show with Jay Leno - aiming to expose the world to technology and it’s ethical implications. In this interview, Dr. Joanne speaks with me about the virtues and vices of how the media portrays AI to the public… and why she likes recent AI movies like “Her” and “Ex Machina,” but questions scandalous newspaper headlines about industrial robots “killing people”, as well as her thoughts about the types of conversations that she believes America (and world) should be having in order to move technology forward safely and fruitfully.

Dr. Hables Gray graduated with a PhD in applied philosophy from UCAL Santa Cruz, and is best known for his writings on technology, war, and cyborgs (the combination of organic and inorganic, the evolved and the invented).   In this interview, Dr. Hables Gray explains his ideas around how seemingly mundane technologies and social media help to blur the line between man and machine, as well as his predictions for how car cyborgs will progress in the coming decades (including the integration of drone technology, brain-machine interface, and more).

Sean Blacknell has spent the last year working on a filmed called “The Future of Work and Death,” based on interviews with futurists, economists, philosophers, and other experts - with an aim to bring the film to Sundance and other prominent festivals in the coming year.   In this interview, Sean explains some of the most meaningful lessons he’s gained about the future of humanity from all of the interviews for his own film.

Dr. Roger Schank received his PhD from Stanford, taught at Yale, and altogether has spent around three decades attempting to solve the big problems of artificial intelligence. In this interview, Dr. Schank talks about a kind of helpful “teaching” artificial intelligence that would go beyond Siri and help us to make the right decisions at the right times given our own objectives. He explains why he believes such a project is not on Google’s agenda, and what he believes might be required to create such an AI.

Dr. Nick Montfort doesn’t hold Shakespeare and DaVinci as the high water mark of “creativity,” nor does he believe that human creative endeavor is the only worthwhile kind.   In this interview, Dr. Montfort shares some of his own examples of how computers can aide the creative process in ways that might result in “art” that humans aren’t capable of making alone. In addition, he provides his insight as to where the intersections of artificial intelligence and “creativity” might really lie.  

Dr. Jonathan Moreno’s book “Mind Wars” has contributed to his current reputation as one of the most prominent bioethicists in America today.   In this interview, Dr. Moreno shares his thoughts about the government agencies like DARPA and the NIH are invested in and involved with the latest biotechnology initiatives, from neuro-prosthetics to psychedelics and beyond. He also shares with us his ideas about how civilian needs are often a prime driver of the direction of biotechnology development (even for behemoths like DARPA).

Dr. Al-Rodhan spent decades studying the human mind, and it helped him form a theory of humanity, its nature, and its technological future. Namely, that our very nature will inevitably bring us to go beyond nature - not merely in the extension of our capacities through devices - but through a literal enhancement and extension of our bodies and minds.   In his belief, human beings are emotional creatures with a moral compass that exists for their own egotistical needs. Our desire for power, profit, pleasure, pride and permanency - says Neyef - will drive us beyond the bounds of our physical condition, and it's the role of governments (not corporations) to regulate that process of enhancement and experimentation for the good of humanity. If you're interested in human motivation and the next 20 years of enhancement technology, this is an interview you won't want to miss.

Dr. Patricia Churchland is UC President's Professor of Philosophy Emerita at the University of California, San Diego. He popular books such as “Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality” grapple with issues at the intersection of philosophy and neuroscience. In this interview, Dr. Churchland explains how the evolution of the mammalian brain may have influenced our underlying core moral values, and her belief that society must be strong yet flexible enough to deal with the moral quagmire of new technologies / values / ways of living as we transition into the future..

Tracy Ingram’s mother was misdiagnosed with a brain aneurism and placed on bed rest for two years - a problem that likely resulted from a typo or similar minor error. Tracy founded BioscanR to help turn biological information from patients into more reliable diagnostic data for doctors, and he competed with his idea in the Qualcomm X-Prize. In this interview, Tracy talks about three reasons why healthcare is often slower to adopt new technologies, as well as his predictions about the coming 10 years of healthcare progress and the innovations that he believes may be most useful for patients and physicians alike.

Dr. Hal Blumenfeld is a pathbreaking neuroscience researcher in the domains of deep brain stimulation and epileptic conditions. His recent Yale research work pertaining to the neurological mechanisms of consciousness and awareness (specially in patients with epilepsy) has garnered quite a bit of attention in recent years. In this interview, Dr. Blumenfeld speaks with us about what he sees as the most important neuroscience developments of the past decade, his hopes for the next decade ahead, and his ideas about the future of brain-machine interface technologies.

Dr. Rudolph Tanzi is a neuroscientist and renowned researcher at Harvard University. Selected as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2015 for his groundbreaking alzheimer’s research, Dr. Tanzi also serves as the Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). In this interview, Dr. Tanzi shares his perspective on the relation of thought, the “self,” and free will - as well as his perspective on human enhancement and evolution (which he believes will occur at a biological and genetic level, not through a merger with machines).

Dr. Steve Omohundro earned degrees in physics and mathematics from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley. Today, most of his best-known work   In this interview, Dr. Omohundro shares his thoughts about how we might “scaffold” our security measures to match the intelligence of our machines in order to prevent them from getting out of hand.        

Vivek Wadhwa began as a software entrepreneur and now is a well-known speaker, writer, and Vice President of Academics and Innovation at Singularity University. In this interview, Mr. Wadhwa shares his heartfelt predictions about what he sees as the complete overhaul of healthcare and education in the coming decades ahead - and the widespread benefits of emerging technology for what he sees as a healthier and more informed future generation.

Dr. Steve Fuller is philosopher and professor at the University of Warwick in the UK. After writing “Humanity 2.0” in 2011, Steve has received increasing attention for his ethical perspective on human enhancement and the transhuman transition. In this interview, Dr. Fuller covers covers what he considers to be the most important present considerations of transhumanism - namely - the potential economic impacts (and gross inequality) of enhancing humanity. Dr. Fuller shares why he considers these issues as the best path forward for bringing human enhancement concerns to modern politics.

Juan Enriquez gave a TED talk in 2009 called “The next species of human,” and video went viral - and is now one of the most popular futurist talks in TED history. In addition to previously founding the Life Sciences Project at the Harvard Business School, Juan is now managing partner in Excell Venture Management in Boston, MA.   In this interview we discuss Juan’s thoughts about the most relevant technologies that might “tinker with what’s human,” and which such technologies might be the first to require serious ethical consideration from humanity as a whole, in the public and private sectors.

Decades ago, Cornell’s Dr. Joe Halpern wrote a book called “Reasoning with Uncertainty.” In this interview, we discuss alternative approaches to handling large-scale uncertainty - as might be applied to broad concerns such as environmental policy, or the management of hard-to-predict emerging technologies.   Through thought experiments and some philosophical exploration, Prof. Halpern explains some potential alternatives to “probabilities,” and opens up the door to other, potentially more robust methods of managing large, uncertain, important questions for humanity’s future.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor became remarkably well-known following her TED talk called “My stroke of insight,” where she explained her experience of having a stroke from her perspective… that is to say: perspective of a neuroscientist. Since then Jill has been featured on Oprah, and her book (with the same title as her TED talk) is available in over 30 languages worldwide. In this interview, Dr. Taylor explains her perspective on the place and purpose of the left and right hemispheres, and how an understanding of neuroanatomy might help us make sense of our own desires / drives, and help us lead a more fulfilling or productive life.