AI Unfiltered

This week Ian and Michael discuss “cognitive surrender” — the increasingly common habit of accepting whatever an AI chatbot tells us without much scrutiny. From there the conversation moves into critical thinking, the uneasy role of AI in recruitment and hiring, and the broader question of whether convenience is eroding our willingness to verify information for ourselves. We also revisit one of the podcast’s recurring themes: AI chess algorithms. A mildly sceptical look at what happens when outsourcing thought becomes just a little too easy. (This description was written with the help of AI - because outsourcing thought is indeed just a little too easy...)

This week Ian and Michael begin with the suspicion that smartphones may have reached the end of meaningful innovation. From there the conversation drifts through second-hand furniture, the growing use of food banks in a wealthy society, consumer culture, Turku’s long-discussed tramway, and — with generous spoilers — the moral philosophy hidden inside the TV series The Good Place. (This description was written with the help of AI)

Ian and Michael discuss the ethical aspects of using AI-generated art instead of human artists, the use of AI and photo manipulation in marketing, and the dangers of resting on one's laurels after prolonged success. And, at long last, our AI-generated contributor Emma Williams returns with another instalment of Emma's Artificial Reflections!

This week, Ian and Michael begin with Rogue One and the practice of digitally resurrecting actors from the original Star Wars films. That leads to a broader discussion about AI-generated likenesses, the ethics of bringing performers back from the dead, and whether future films might simply recycle familiar faces indefinitely. Ever coherent and never prone to tangents, we also cover a host of other topics — including bachelor taxes, Finnish tourism and industry, and a brief excursion into Norse mythology. (This description was written with the help of AI)

This week’s episode begins with an unscheduled interruption when a chair, a foot, and a small toe collide — setting the tone for a slightly chaotic conversation. From there we wander through AI-generated spam, early internet memories involving dial-up modems and accidental faxes, and the generational gap between growing up with computers and discovering them later in life. Along the way we drift into laptops versus phones, collectible comic books, and the curious problem of remembering actors’ names. In other words: a fairly typical mixture of technology, nostalgia, and mild distraction. (This description was written with the help of AI)