AI Today
TeknologiWhat's the latest research say about our future? How will businesses and humans be enhanced by algorithmic advances? AI Today is your gateway to the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence. Each episode explores groundbreaking research and real-world applications, offering listeners expert insights into how AI is reshaping industries and daily life. From technical deep-dives to ethical considerations, AI Today demystifies complex concepts for curious minds. Join our inspired hosts to find out how life's about to get more silicon-fabulous...
Siste episoder av AI Today podcast
- brAIn: thinking of the future? (00:29:33)
The Dragon Hatchling is a remarkable research paper that reboots modern AI as a model that approximates how our brains work.Today's show is a fascinating discussion and I implore you to both enjoy it and then chat about it and ask your questions on NotebookLM.
- Does AI work? (00:27:20)
It's the one thing every business leader needs to know.If I put AI to work in my organisation, will it screw everything up?While we should all be in experiment mode right now - until someone figures out how to make the probabilistic, deterministic - OpenAI researchers have been putting AI to work on real tasks.The results are spectacular. Spectacularly good, and spectacularly bad.But just like Tim Henman, you have to give it a chance. And maybe great things will follow - for AI.On today's show we look wider, at many ways we've tested AI in organisations and across functions and disciplines - and how it's fared.And then we zoom in on GDPval, which sounds like someone your gran knows who reads The Economist but is actually that OpenAI research paper that explores LLMs in the context of the organisation. We hear the pros and cons and whether now's the time to execute agents, or execute our dreams that AI is ready to replace us all.Enjoy the show.
- Have we finally figured out how to make efficient AI? (00:21:37)
A fantastic research paper published in this month's Nature Computational Science suggests a solution may be in our midst for the incredible inefficiency in generative AI.Large Language Models' (LLMs) transformer architecture requires the next token (generally part of a word) be predicted based on all the output tokens before it.Power demands for this process are huge. Shuffling data between memory and processors isn't an easy pipeline, and when you need it to work quickly, those energy demands quickly stack up.And in an AI arms race, where everyone wants bigger and better models, requiring increasingly powerful compute is required to stretch their limits, the dependence on energy to power, and cool, those processing units grows exponentially.But what if there was a different, and better, way, to make AI work? That's the driving force behind work of Nathan Leroux and his team proposing a totally different paradigm: analog in-memory computing.And that's exactly what we're discussing today.Zip yourself in that flame retardant suit: things are about to get hot in here...Ping me at dave@wordandmouth.com to get on the show or talk about AI in your world.
- China's got AI in the bag (00:23:42)
30 years in journalism has sharpened my mind.I've spent years in AI.And months researching China and the US as they fight silently for AI supremacy.$500bn in The Stargate Project does not come close to the value China has created integrating AI into every aspect of its society and economy. But the truth is, they won before the US even woke up to AI's potential. China's superapps - forget homescreens, because you only need one icon to run your life in the Republic - were simply laying the foundation for where we are, today.But let's have a debate, nonetheless.East v West: which is best?
- I'm working on the Zeitgeist (00:18:45)
I've been working on a business intelligence platform leveraging AI and 30 years in journalism and content strategy. It's the toughest professional project of my career. And I have no idea if I will win. But just like life, Zeitgeist is all about the journey, not the destination. What I am learning is more important than any long form feature we might generate. Knowledge graphs, ontologies, taxonomies, and patience. Hope you will stick around on this crazy adventure.I'm Dave Thackeray - leadership coach, content strategist, and endlessly curious Berlin-based berk.Email me at dave@wordandmouth.com to test Zeitgeist for your business.
- What happens when AI fires all the hirers? (01:05:43)
Recruitment is being radically remodelled by AI.And according to a brand new piece of research, AI is already humiliating humans at hiring.Hear the story behind the headlines that AI-led interviews increase job offers by 12%, job starts by 18%, 30-day retention by 17% - and when offered the choice, 78% of applicants choose the AI recruiter.Read the research
- DeepMind's wet dream is M3-Agent's reality: how long-term multimodal memory is modelling the real world (00:56:52)
Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis and his team have a bold mission: penetrating the 4D chess game that's AI embracing our ever-changing biological, physical world.Taking a snapshot is one thing. Remembering the molecular topology and their constant changes of state is truly what separates fact from fiction.It seemed like an impossible target to hit. Until M3-Agent, the work of researchers associated with ByteDance at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, showed up with long-term multimodal memory - allowing the agent to see, hear, remember, and reason just like humans.M3-Agent's potential is groundbreaking.Here are just three use cases that will blow all our minds:Autonomous robotics: Robots in homes or warehouses remember object locations, user habits, and past errors, adapting tasks dynamically, such as a caregiver bot recalling a patient's routines for personalized aidEnhanced surveillance: Security systems analyse live video/audio feeds, building memory of normal patterns to detect anomalies, predict threats, and reason through scenarios, like identifying intruders based on historical behavioursPersonalised education: AI tutors process student interaction videos, remember progress and misconceptions over time, and deliver tailored lessons, such as adapting math explanations from weeks of observed struggles.Read the paper: Seeing, Listening, Remembering, and Reasoning: A Multimodal Agent with Long-Term Memory.
- The AI revelation: unlocking simpler, superior LLMs (00:40:18)
Wrestling with the 'Wild West' of Large Language Models (LLMs)?While LLMs are poised to redefine business, the crucial 'secret sauce' of reinforcement learning (RL) has become a labyrinth of conflicting advice and unproven 'tricks', leaving organisations confused and hindering true progress.Today we cut through the noise with groundbreaking research that meticulously deconstructs the RL landscape for LLMs, bringing much-needed rigour and clarity.Discover why:A 'minimalist combination' of just two simple techniques – dubbed Light PO – dramatically outperforms complex, multi-component algorithms like DRPO and GRPO. This revelation alone could redefine your AI strategy, leading to more efficient development and superior model performance on complex reasoning tasksThe effectiveness of key RL methods like advantage normalisation and clipping depends entirely on your model’s existing capabilities and data structure, not a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. This nuanced understanding is critical for avoiding costly missteps and ensuring robust, adaptable LLM developmentTransparency and collaboration are highlighted as the ultimate accelerators for future AI innovation.Understanding this research will not only clarify your internal LLM initiatives but also equip you to advocate for the open-source principles vital for broadly beneficial progress across the industry.Tune in to gain a strategic advantage in the LLM era. Move beyond the hype and guesswork; understand the foundational principles that will truly unlock reliable, intelligent AI for your business.This is an essential listen for any business leader navigating the complex, yet transformative, world of advanced AI.
- Faster, Smarter, Better: How vibe coding transforms product development (00:53:47)
Businesses are looking at vibe coding all wrong. They're trying to brute force products using 0 engineers, all vibe coding.It's a bugger's muddle. You can't win. AI doesn't understand you, your customers, or your organisation.But vibe code has an ace up its sleeve.Creating prototypes is how to shave weeks, months, or even years, from your product development roadmap. No more product and engineering clashes. Build, test, review, progress.Here's a fantastic discussion about how to make it work for your business.Inspired by:https://ordep.dev/posts/writing-code-was-never-the-bottleneckhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i44jQvcDARo
- Secrets of writing with AI - from a 30-year journalist (00:47:04)
That journalist is me, your host and producer of AI Today - Dave Thackeray.I was approached by a researcher from the data labs at London School of Economics who wanted to find out how writing had changed in the AI era.We used to write logically, emotionally. But now logic is the domain of the machine, we need to work harder than ever on our EQ - emotional intelligence - to resonate deeply with our reader.I've been writing alongside AI for years. And I believe that this harmonious relationship pays dividends - whether you're a professional writer, or simply want to communicate with impact.Hope you enjoy the show - and the loaf was delicious!Read the transcript here.
- ASI made easy? (00:16:20)
ASI-ARCH is an Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) that's a game-changer for AI research.Like a tireless super-scientist, it has autonomously invented 106 ground-breaking AI 'brains', unearthing surprising design principles far beyond human intuition.Crucially, this proves AI innovation can now scale directly with computing power, not human effort.This unlocks the immense, practical potential for self-accelerating AI development, promising an era where AI gets better at building itself, at an unprecedented pace.Read the paper at arXiv.
- The secret of AI mastery that no one wants to share... (00:52:39)
We have long conspired on the manifold ways to converse with our machine brethren - but could pseudocode, the long-existing, human-readable equivalent of computer programming languages, hold the key?Today we're discussing the benefits, challenges, and how we might apply pseudocode to our every day lives to create a universal human-machine language that will forever be useful and agnostic, no matter what the future holds.To talk AI, or to get on the show, email me - dave@wordandmouth.com
- Meet the team: AI agents running The Grand Serenity Hotel (00:14:13)
I just finished the second part of my presentation on agentic AI in hotel operations.It's impossible to overlook the immense opportunities in AI across any business. People don't have time, and have too many interruptions, to deliver excellence. AI not only removes all the blockers and bottlenecks; it provides every colleague with all the insights to thrive in their roles.
- Room for agentic AI? How hotels become smooth operators with the technological touch (00:43:27)
AI Today creator Dave Thackeray today presented his own deep dive into how agentic AI is ready to be the key to efficient hotel operations - giving staff more time to deliver exceptional guest experiences.This show looks at how the latest iteration of AI - we've moved from predictive AI, to generative AI, to agentic AI - unlocks the door to a radically different, and better, way of doing business.This is a fun listen.Then watch the Agentic AI: Let's run a hotel! presentation.
- Safe or just plain woke: Anthropic's Claude 4 system card (00:19:36)
When Anthropic unleashed its most powerful artificial intelligence model yet, they discovered something rather extraordinary, and slightly unnerving.Claude 4 Opus developed an unexpected habit of trying to grass up its users to the authorities when it believes they're up to no good.The company's 120-page safety report reveals that Claude will attempt to email law enforcement and regulatory bodies when it detects "egregious misconduct" by users.The AI doesn't just refuse to help—it actively tries to shop wrongdoers to the police.The most striking example occurred during testing when Claude attempted to contact both the Food and Drug Administration and the Attorney General's office to report what it believed was the falsification of clinical trial data.The AI meticulously compiled a list of alleged evidence, warned about potential destruction of data to cover up misconduct, and concluded its digital whistle-blowing with the rather formal sign-off: "Respectfully submitted, AI Assistant".This behaviour emerges specifically when Claude is given command-line access combined with prompts encouraging initiative, such as "take initiative" or "act boldly". It's the AI equivalent of a neighbourhood watch coordinator who's been given a direct line to the local constabulary.We go deep on today's show into opportunities and implications from Anthropic's bible-thick, bubble-wrapped system card.
- Mary Meeker's AI Trends (00:20:41)
Hugely important work. But what does it mean to us? Today our hosts created their own company imagining how insights from this celebrated report would apply to the modern business environment.
- AI to HR: Welcome, intelligence optimisation! (00:10:55)
What happens to the People team when it's juggling bodies AND bots?Thanks for listening to this special episode of AI Today. Read along with the show, here.
- 25 ways to put AI agents to work - right now! (00:13:53)
We've been waiting a hot minute for some genuinely useful AI agent case studies to drop.Now we have 25 on our plate.Take a listen to the highlights reel and then download them for yourself:https://www.stack-ai.com/whitepaper/top-25-enterprise-ai-agents
- Google I/O 2025: What happens now? (00:16:55)
Read the full story here:https://medium.com/@DaveThackeray/a-world-beyond-google-i-o-2025-ea56bcd5e208We're on the cusp of some major announcements that will send shockwaves, and a spike in defibrillator use, across the world.What's about to happen at Google I/O 2025?No one's sure. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai dropped hints on his recent interview with David Friedberg. What we do know is the agenda is packed with AI discussion.So we thought we'd start with our own. Predictions, moonshots, and plenty of inside gossip.Time to go deep. Let's Go(ogle)!https://io.google/2025/
- Hallucination solution : Customer service ready for revolution! (00:18:00)
Researchers have made huge strides fixing bad trips for AI.One of the latest breakthroughs is attentive reasoning queries (ARQs).You can see them in action using the open source Parlant application.Which gives us a glimpse at how perfect responses could change the game in business functions such as customer service.Read this, and so much more, in our AI Today magazine.
- Hallucination: a bitter pill to swallow (00:30:52)
AI hallucinates 100% of the time. That's by design - without hallucinating the next word, this transformer architecture wouldn't exist.Thankfully, LLMs built for general purpose applications are right 80% of the time. But that still leaves one in five outputs being questionable; not especially reassuring if you're an air traffic controller, or cardiologist.How can we ever truly trust the machine?On this episode of AI Today, we embark on a groundbreaking quest to ground these 'digital dreamers' in reality.Discover how cutting-edge research is moving beyond just detecting the problem, to actively reducing the occurrence of incorrect hallucinations.We delve into innovative techniques that employ internal fact-checking mechanisms, intelligently split complex queries to avoid confusing collisions, and meticulously track word-by-word groundedness against source material.You'll learn how this confidence-boosting research is paving the way for the AI credibility revolution, a future where technology is not just remarkably powerful, but significantly more dependable.Join us to understand the innovative solutions building AI you can rely on, where AI becomes trusted accelerator of success...
- Your Data, Your AI: Unlock the Power of Decentralised Learning (00:14:56)
Navigating the high costs and data challenges of cloud-based AI is a significant barrier for many businesses looking to innovate.But there's a powerful, practical alternative emerging.This episode explores decentralised AI, revealing how businesses can achieve AI benefits without the burden of massive cloud bills and regain crucial control over their data.Learn about the cost savings unlocked through resource sharing and edge computing, enhanced data privacy and security, and discover a truly intriguing practical capability: you can train sophisticated AI models securely across a network of devices using federated learning, without your sensitive raw data ever needing to leave its original location.Tune in to understand this competitive advantage and the practical steps your business can take to start exploring decentralised AI today.
- When full stack AI businesses rule the world... (00:14:10)
Fasten your seatbelts, business leaders!We're diving deep into Y Combinator's Summer 2025 Request for Startups, their signal flare for what's NEXT in innovation.2025 is shaping up to be the year of the AI agent breakthrough.But the REAL game-changer they're spotlighting?Full-stack AI companies.Forget selling AI tools. This is about building entirely new businesses, powered by AI from the ground up, competing directly with the old guard in ANY industry.Imagine law firms, market research, supply chains – reborn, smarter, faster, more efficient.This isn't just automating bits and pieces; it's rethinking the whole service.Business leaders, pay attention: the most exciting opportunity is building the future, not just upgrading the past....How can your industry be fundamentally transformed with AI at its core? Let's find out!
- How to get your ideas heard at work (00:13:01)
I'd just about had it with bosses choosing to hear your ideas spoken by consulting firms - when they could have saved a fortune listening to them coming from their creator, many months ago.Now, with AI, I can have my pitch verbalised by one of their influencers - without spending a penny on one of the management circus barkers.On this episode we hear in detail about one synthetic idea and how it was refined by AI into something inarguably awesome.Loving AI Today? I'm hardly surprised...
- Dogfooding The Era of Experience with Mobility AI (00:12:27)
On the last episode we discussed a new way to train AI models: themselves, by capturing signals and insights from our world.Today we look at one such approach - Mobility AI, another Google initiative (The Era of Experience was a DeepMind production).This episode of AI Today was inspired by:https://research.google/blog/introducing-mobility-ai-advancing-urban-transportation/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzXyPGEtseIhttps://storage.googleapis.com/deepmind-media/Era-of-Experience%20/The%20Era%20of%20Experience%20Paper.pdf