The Life Scientific

The Life Scientific

BBC Radio 4

Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work, finding out what inspires and motivates them and asking what their discoveries might do for us in the future

Categories: Science & Medicine

Listen to the last episode:

When you think of Artificial Intelligence, does it inspire confidence, or concern?

Although it's now generally accepted that this technology will play a major role in our future, a lot of conversations around AI and machine learning come back to the argument over us losing control and robots taking over.

Happily, Neil Lawrence has a more optimistic view of the power of AI, and how we might navigate the potential pitfalls. Neil is the DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge, and over the course of his career has been involved in deploying AI and machine learning in both academic and commercial scenarios, with a stint at Amazon as well as working across fields as varied as movie animation, Formula 1 strategy, and medical research.

Speaking with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Neil says ultimately his efforts are all about making a difference to our everyday lives - and that we need to learn how to embrace AI, albeit with a healthy dollop of scepticism; not least when it comes to how our data is used, and the power of 'the digital oligarchy'...

Presented by JIm Al-Khalili Produced for BBC Studios by Lucy Taylor

Previous episodes

  • 337 - Neil Lawrence on taking down the 'digital oligarchy' and why we shouldn't fear AI 
    Tue, 10 Jun 2025
  • 336 - Liz Morris on Antarctic adventures and the melting polar ice sheets 
    Tue, 03 Jun 2025
  • 335 - Anthony Fauci on a medical career navigating pandemics and presidents 
    Tue, 27 May 2025
  • 334 - Brian Schmidt on Nobel Prize-winning supernovae and the joys of making wine 
    Tue, 22 Apr 2025
  • 333 - Jacqueline McKinley on unearthing bones and stories at Britain's ancient burial sites 
    Tue, 15 Apr 2025
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