In the season finale of "Humainity," the episode delves into the concept of "affordance" in both physical objects and cognitive constructs, like the difference between Roman and Indo-Arabic numerals. The discussion transitions to how AI augments human cognition, offering "cognitive affordances" that expand our mental capabilities. AI tools, like calculators, serve as collaborators, enhancing individual work. The episode touches on the potential for AI to change religious experiences, possibly creating AI-generated "sacred artifacts." It also explores AI's potential in communicating with other species, like the CETI project with whales. The role of AI in evolving language and writing is discussed, suggesting AI might alter the perception of cognitive feats.

The second season will launch in early 2024.

In episode 9 of "Humainity," Rajesh and Richard discuss the impact and experience of generative AI in their own lives. They reminisce about the progression of AI, comparing its evolution to the history of computing. Richard shares concerns about the rapid advancement of AI, while Rajesh sees it as a creative tool. Both acknowledge the potential of AI, especially in the realm of creativity and content production. Richard emphasizes the educational challenges posed by AI, adjusting assignments to counteract AI's capabilities. Rajesh highlights the playful and creative aspects of AI, appreciating its ability to enhance multimedia production, especially in generating images that reflect personal ideas.

In the latest installment of the "Humanity" podcast, hosts Rajesh and Richard explore the profound impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on our culture and how the Internet has evolved alongside it.

When Rajesh and Richard were students at MIT, they witnessed firsthand the skepticism surrounding non-symbolic approaches in AI. Prominent figures like Chomsky openly critiqued these methods, but as the years progressed, so did the technology. What was once dismissed as "Connectionism" now stands at the forefront as "Deep Learning."

The reason for this monumental shift? Richard believes it lies in the vast improvement in computing power, and Rajesh believes lies in the vast amounts of data shared by humans on the internet.

As a social species, people like you and me are always observing, evaluating, and forming opinions about those around us. For instance, most of us can easily identify others by their faces. However, there's a surprising fact: some people find it hard to recognize faces. We call these folks "Prosopagnosics" or "face blind". It's not as rare as you might think, with around 1 in 50 people experiencing this challenge. On the flip side, there are some people who are incredibly good at recognizing faces, and we call them "super recognizers".

Even machines are becoming adept at recognizing faces, thanks to deep learning networks. These smart systems can pick out details like a person's age, gender, and race. They can even make calculated guesses about someone's wealth or emotional state. This type of information can be really useful. Consider a high-end store like Neiman Marcus -- they'd be interested in knowing if a person walking in is likely to buy something and how much they could potentially spend.

In this episode of Humainity, Richard and I talk about using AI for person perception: identification, emotion perception, remote interviews and more. 

In the sixth episode of "Humanity," Richard and I delve into AI's potential for collaboration. The episode begins with reintroducing the concept of "affordances," from Episode 2. "Affordance" is a term coined by the psychologist JJ Gibson, and it refers to the 'act-upon-ability' of objects and surfaces.

We explore a new platform, Team GPT, which facilitates multiple users interacting with ChatGPT simultaneously. We experiment with it, asking how AI can enhance collaboration. The conversation then veers towards the potential of AI in brainstorming sessions. AI could facilitate idea generation, virtual brainstorming, pattern recognition, and even play the role of a devil's advocate in discussions. The Devil's Advocate is particularly interesting because we are so bad at it!

While the episode started with the premise of using ChatGPT as a many-to-one collaborative partner, we concluded the episode by reflecting on the potential of using AI as a one-on-one collaborator rather than in group settings. 

Identity spawns many questions. Some are metaphysical, bordering on religious. Who am I? Who am I really? Other questions of identity are about psychology and culture.

In episode 5 of Humainity, Richard and I explore how AI might influence our sense of identity and whether it accelerates the trend to make identities more fluid.

We also briefly allude to the possibility of taking on radically new identities, including those of other creatures. Can we become a Blue Whale? We won't know until we try.

Where Richard and I talk about how AI might perform activities that are currently the preserve of religious professionals.