The Gods of AI

On AI, with its threats and hopes, history and religion.

We are back! In the last season, we mostly focused on our past: where we came from, and how our history affected the value we seek to create in our career. This season, we are looking towards the future. 

This time we recorded among the mushrooms of the autumn forest. While the dogs ran around sniffing the wind, we discussed what we hope from AI, and what we fear the most.

The path we took:

• Science fiction's AI promises, teaching us to fear the robots early on.
• The promise of growth and prosperity, and the last time we heard those promises: in the mobile revolution.
• Machines doing stupid human stuff much more efficiently than humans.
• The brief history of AI, or all the different things we called AI at some point.
• Regulation, legislation, and setting rules for something we don't fully understand.
• Surpassing human intelligence being a thread in itself or a way to salvation.
• Robot gods, robots with emotions.
• And for a more grounded ending: AI tools we use now, in our daily work, and why we're not worried about robots taking our jobs just yet.

Further reading:

• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6398163-the-orchid-cage
• https://www.fastcompany.com/90942310/ai-napster-who-going-to-own-it-next
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/gilpress/2016/12/30/a-very-short-history-of-artificial-intelligence-ai/
• https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2019/mar/17/the-cambridge-analytica-scandal-changed-the-world-but-it-didnt-change-facebook
• https://ourworldindata.org/artificial-intelligence
• https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2023/04/28/yuval-noah-harari-argues-that-ai-has-hacked-the-operating-system-of-human-civilisation
• https://80000hours.org/problem-profiles/artificial-intelligence/
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40947778-the-outside

Spoiler warning: This episode contains major plot spoilers for the following sci-fi movies or books: The Matrix franchise, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Terminator, The Orchid Cage by Herbert W. Franke, and The Outside series by Ada Hoffman. 

Grab your headphones, and walk with us! We have some sparkly winter sunshine, just ideal for a one-episode-long walk.

Ps. If you want to chime in, DM us or leave a comment on our Instagram - we're @paths.puddles.products and would love your feedback!

★ Support this podcast ★

Creators & Guests

Host

Anikó Vera Fejes

I'm a software developer who tried a lot of things but ultimately decided to hide from the world in the woods.

Host

Juli Mata

I work in product, and I come from (product-service-system) design. I focus on help linking product to business strategy these days.

What is Paths, Puddles, Products?

Trails to innovation: Wandering in design, development & business on foot

Welcome to the Paths, puddles, products podcast, where we explore the paths and puddles of innovation. We are a duo of international product designers with over a decade of experience working in diverse industries, and we're here to share our insights, stories, and takeaways with you.

Join us as we walk and talk about the realities of product design, debunking myths and shedding light on the good, the bad, and the ugly. We'll go beyond the buzzwords to give you a true picture of what it's really like to work in design, development, and business.

And don't forget, just like hiking, it's not just about the destination - it's about the journey. So grab your headphones and come walk with us.