Shows
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkAI Composed MusicMusical composition is one of the earliest examples of human art and creativity. Today, new and original music is increasingly being composed by AI. Drew Silverstein, Co-Founder and CEO of Amper Music, joins the show. Automation of sound and music, in the form of licensing stock and pre-existing recordings, is a decades-old trend that became ubiquitous with the rise of the internet. Now, thanks to machine learning and artificial intelligence, the creation of original music is increasingly being automated. Drew Silverstein, one of the pioneers at the forefront of this trend, joins the Creative Next team to...2020-02-0448 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkAI & Audio EngineeringAI is driving innovation in the field of audio production. Jonathan Bailey, the Chief Technology Officer of iZotope, a company pioneering advances with these technologies, talks about the state-of-the-art in audio software. As recently as 50 years ago, audio production required physical tools such as a soldering iron to achieve. With the rise of the personal computer these technical requirements have disappeared, replaced by software which handles all of the work with bits and bytes. From mixing to sound repair to post-production, machine learning-powered software like that offered by iZotope continues to automate an audio engineer’s workflow an...2020-01-2842 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkEvolving Digital DesignThe digital design profession has undergone tumultuous change over the last decades, lessons from which inform the future of AI-driven computational design. Daniel Harvey, Head of Product Design & Brand at The Dots Global, is our guest. Design has evolved since the rise of the Internet and mobile computing, resulting in unintended negative consequences in our world such as the appropriation of social media technologies by evil actors, and the pernicious influences of bias and other invisible forces. In extreme cases our tools even contribute to the culmination of the most horrific of outcomes, such as the genocide...2020-01-0745 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkArchitecture & Generative DesignWhat is the role and future of generative design and machine learning in the field of architecture? Lilli Smith, Senior Product Manager AEC Generative Design at Autodesk, joins us to discuss these emerging technologies. Architecture, in collaboration with Engineering and Construction, leads to the creation of the millions of buildings around the world. Like many other creative professions, architecture is being transformed by smartware in the form of things like generative design applications and additive fabrication, which is better known as 3d printing. Autodesk’s Lilli Smith brings more than 20 years of personal history and insight to ou...2019-12-1744 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkComputational FilmmakingHow are computational tools changing filmmaking, and how will it change the video content of the future? To explore these topics we welcome Genevieve Patterson, Chief Scientist and Co-Founder of TRASH, to the show. Tools like those offered by TRASH, Genevieve Patterson’s software that uses AI to make and share video, are beginning to edit video automagically for people. While these are currently limited to short, simple, social media-style videos the underlying machine learning technologies are building toward something far more. Memorable Quotes “The big goal of our app is both...2019-12-1043 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkAI Design for the EnterpriseAmy Yoshitsu, a Founder and the Head of Design for Kleeen software, joins us to talk about their vision for using machine learning to automate a variety of design and engineering tasks for enterprise software. She introduces us to the plans of her startup, Kleeen Software, which aspires to transform enterprise software by automating a variety of design and engineering tasks. Amy also talks about how Kleeen hopes to level up remote collaboration in the process, shared in part from the perspective of their own distributed team and model. Memorable Quotes “Ima...2019-12-0344 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkAI-Powered Design ToolsTatiana Mejia, Head of AI Product Marketing and Strategy at Adobe and named one of 2018’s top Silicon Valley women in AI, joins us to talk about the present and future of machine learning tools for digital designers. Tatiana Mejia, Head of AI Product Marketing and Strategy at Adobe and one of Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 2018 top Silicon Valley women in AI, joins the show. She takes us into the world of Adobe Sensei, the company’s artificial intelligence and machine learning technology that is impacting all of the software company’s key applications. We discuss the desi...2019-11-2651 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkOur Complex FutureFrom science to technology, and from society to policy, we are heading into a future of change, instability, and complexity. To explore these interesting times Scientist-in-Residence at Lux Capital Sam Arbesman joins Dirk and Jon. Sam Arbesman, Scientist-in-Residence at Lux Capital, who professionally identifies as a Complexity Scientist, joins Dirk and Jon to explore the lattice of complexities facing us in the near and medium-term futures. Taking deep looks at everything from science, to engineering, to policy, to automation, Sam provides insight in a variety of directions, finally suggesting how we might best prepare for the post-scarcity...2019-09-0336 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkThe Next Billion UsersHow does the rest of the world use technology? Author of The Next Billion Users Payal Arora joins Dirk and Jon to explore the use of AI and digital tech in diverse places such as India, China, Africa, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. Payal Arora, author of The Next Billion Users and Associate Professor, Department of Media and Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam, joins Dirk and Jon to share her research on the ways emerging technologies are used in developing nations. From teenagers in India to the Chinese state to gangsters in Brazil to Imams in Saudi Arabia...2019-08-2747 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkMarketing & Emerging TechHow are marketing agencies adapting to smartware and emerging technologies? Tiny Giant co-founder Kerry Harrison joins Dirk and Jon to share her perspective, including explorations in techs such as chatbots and neural networks. Kerry Harrison, a co-founder of Bristol, U.K. marketing agency Tiny Giant, joins Dirk and Jon to talk about the work her firm is in areas such as AI, chatbots, and neural networks. A veteran marketing professional, Kerry also shares her thoughtful take on the future of agencies, how marketing and emerging technologies can synergize, and what marketers need to do in order to...2019-08-2040 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkUnderstanding the Smart HomeThanks to cloud computing and the Internet of Things, the smart home is on the rise. Yonomi CEO Kent Dickson joins Dirk and Jon to discuss the present and future of the smart home, and how it might become essential for you. Kent Dickson, the CEO of Yonomi, the IoT company connecting the smart home, joins Dirk and Jon to explore the state of the smart home. With roots in home automation that goes back decades, the smart home of today leverages the Internet of Things and cloud computing to offer modular solutions that are affordable and...2019-08-0641 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkThe Future of Visual StorytellingTelevision, our most universal form of visual storytelling, has undergone a digital revolution. Open Television founder AJ Christian joins Dirk and Jon to discuss the medium today and how it may change in the future. AJ Christian, the author of Open TV, Founder and Head of Development at Open Television, and Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University, joins Dirk and Jon to take a deep dive into television. Moving from past to present to future and analyzing the development and distribution sides from both a corporate and independent perspective, Dr. Christian provides a rich foundation...2019-07-2348 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkComputational Media CreationDeep fakes are here, a result of astounding innovation in computational media creation. Stanford professor Maneesh Agrawala joins Dirk and Jon to talk about advances in and challenges with machine creation of video and journalism. Maneesh Agrawala, Director of the Brown Institute for Media Innovation at Stanford University, joins Dirk and Jon to discuss key issues in the computational creation of media, such as video and journalism. While these sorts of technologies famously contribute to the creation of things like deep fakes, those perversions are based off groundbreaking and assistive work that promises to make the process...2019-07-1649 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkAI & Augmented StorytellingArtificial intelligence already writes stock and minor league sports blurbs. Is storytelling next? AI researcher Snigdha Chaturvedi joins Dirk and Jon to share her research projects developing AI augmented storytelling tools. AI researcher Snigdha Chaturvedi joins Dirk and Jon to share details from her research projects over the years, building toward AI that can eventually tell original stories. We learn about challenges faced in her work, limitations with the current technology, and how AI storytelling with augment professional writers and amateur non-writers in the near future. Memorable Quotes "The creativity and e...2019-07-0953 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkNLP - Natural Language ProcessingThe human voice is helping to drive the future of automation. Systran and Adobe veteran Shivali Goel joins Dirk and Jon to explain how Natural Language Processing, or NLP, is powering the AI of today and tomorrow. Natural Language Processing researcher Shivali Goel joins Dirk and Jon to go deep into this crucial technology. We learn about what Natural Language Processing, or NLP, is, how it powers software, AI, and automation, and discover some of the cutting-edge applications that NLP is driving today. Memorable Quotes "For example, if I say 'Kids m...2019-07-0236 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkOrigins of Social MediaSocial media connects friends and strangers as never before. Cornell’s Lee Humphreys, author of The Qualified Self, joins Dirk and Jon to explore centuries-old social traditions now updated for a world of mobile and AI technology. Author of The Qualified Self and Cornell University Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Lee Humphreys joins Dirk and Jon to explore the past of social communication in order to better understand its present and future. We learn how ancient technologies like fans and old traditions like diarying frame modern social media and communication less as a rev...2019-06-2549 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkUI & Artificial IntelligenceWe communicate with artificial intelligence via user interface, or UI. AI innovator Erica Lee joins Dirk and Jon to talk about the present and future of people communication with our smart machines. AI innovator Erica Lee joins Dirk and Jon to explore user interface and artificial intelligence. We talk about on-trend inputs like gestural and voice and how they contribute to augmentation and automation driven by artificial intelligence. Memorable Quotes "As we improve our sensor imprint and our understanding of human intelligence, how the brain works, how the body works, and h...2019-06-1840 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkWhen Will AI Exceed Human Performance?Researcher Katja Grace joins Dirk and Jon to discuss upcoming AI achievements. We then explore expert predictions in Katja’s research paper, When Will AI Exceed Human Performance?, to project when key advances will happen. AI researcher Katja Grace joins Dirk and Jon to talk about her work. In 2016 Katja led a research project that gathered input from hundreds of AI experts to speculate about the timeframe in which different advances would be completed. We talk about the many predictions from her paper, When Will AI Exceed Human Performance?, spanning practical applications like self-driving cars and generating po...2019-04-231h 01
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkInnovation in Lifelong LearningWhat is the future of lifelong learning? Entrepreneur Jessica Yung joins Dirk and Jon to discuss methods, philosophies, and companies active at the leading edge of self-directed learning. Entrepreneur Jessica Yung joins Dirk and Jon to talk about trends in lifelong learning. Building from her experience at the University of Cambridge and her current Research Masters studies in Computational Statistics and Machine Learning, Jessica explores the do-it-yourself ethos and tools for both teaching and learning that make knowledge more accessible than ever. Memorable Quotes "It's much harder to deploy machine learning m...2019-04-1648 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkStudent-Driven LearningHow do ambitious and driven students enhance their educational experience? Research engineer and recent graduate Vaidheeswaran Archana joins Dirk and Jon to talk AI and share her educational experiences. Higher education changes slowly, far behind the pace of emerging technologies. To bridge the gap ambitious students hack their education with a combination of social and personal augmentations. Research engineer and recent graduate Vaidheeswaran Archana joins Dirk and Jon to share the ways in which things like Hackathons and student-run and founded research labs enhanced her formal university education in Chennai, India. Memorable Quotes2019-04-0941 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkHigher Education InnovationsWhat is the state-of-the-art in higher education? Ben Nelson, the founder of Minerva Schools, joins Dirk and Jon to share his innovative approach to higher education and the unique experience offered by his institution. Even as the Internet and mobile computing technologies have remade our relationship with communication and information, the higher education experience has remained largely unchanged. Ben Nelson, the founder of Minerva Schools, joins Dirk and Jon to explain how he is planning to change that. Minerva blends a holistic view and pedagogical approach with the smart use of available technologies to offer a fresh...2019-04-0256 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkHigh School InnovationsWhat is the state-of-the-art in high school education? Principal Pam Pedersen joins Dirk and Jon to talk about the approach of and experience at her school, Innovations Early College High School. Innovations Early College High School, a choice school within the Salt Lake City School District, offers a progressive program designed to best facilitate successful preparation for and transition into college. Principal Pam Pedersen joins Dirk and Jon to talk about their philosophy, student experience, and teaching life and responsibilities. While technology plays a key role the biggest surprises have to do with their approach. 2019-03-2634 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkHow Humans LearnHow do we best learn? Design philosopher Stephen Anderson joins Dirk and Jon to explore various ways that people learn. The conversation spans kinetic learning, games as educational tools, and traditional theories like Montessori. The sciences are learning more about us and our world at a ferocious pace. One of the wonderful consequences is we have a clearer idea of how we, ourselves, can best learn. Capital One’s Head of Practice Development Stephen Anderson joins Dirk and Jon to explore leading edge learning theory, particularly as applied in professional environments. Memorable Quotes...2019-03-1942 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkPoker, Artificial Intelligence & LearningThe Libratus AI beating top poker pros is just the public face of a revolution in poker strategy. Journalist Ben Saxton joins Dirk and Jon to explain poker engines, cutting-edge strategy, and tips on how to learn. Poker is undergoing a revolution in strategy thanks in part to AI-driven poker engines that enable precise computation of game theory optimal, or GTO, strategy. Based on physicist John Nash’s “equilibrium”, GTO is professionalizing a game historically known more for cigar smoke and degenerate gamblers than extremely complex math. Journalist, teacher, and poker player Ben Saxton joins Dirk and Jon to...2019-03-1259 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkHow AI Solved PokerHow did Libratus AI beat some of the top heads-up poker pros in the world? Libratus co-creator Noam Brown joins Dirk and Jon to talk about how Libratus taught itself and devised innovative strategies to conquer this popular game. Computer and research scientist Noam Brown joins Dirk and Jon to provide the inside story on Libratus, a poker playing AI that he co-created which defeated four top human heads-up poker pros. We discover how Libratus taught itself to prepare, how it adjusted its play overnight, and continually made plays that, in the words of a top poker...2019-03-0540 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkHow AI Superiority Changes Human EndeavorHow has AI changed chess since Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov in 1997? Cognitive scientist Christopher Chabris joins Dirk and Jon to talk about the evolution of chess in the machine era, and how it will inform future impacts of AI. Cognitive scientist and professor Christopher Chabris joins Dirk and Jon to reflect on the 22 years of evolution in the game of Chess since Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in 1997. We explore these dynamics in some detail, using this history of how machine dominance impacted the game over decades to speculate about how AI primacy in future areas...2019-02-2648 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkSmartware & Emerging TechnologiesWhich technologies synergize with artificial intelligence? Leandro Agro joins Dirk and Jon to explore big data, the Internet of Things, virtual and augmented realities, 3d printing, and the identity graph. Digital Design Director Leandro Agro joins Dirk and Jon to go beyond artificial intelligence and learn about complementary smartware technologies that, in combination with AI, will transform the ways we live and work. We talk about what’s now, what’s next, and what’s really important. Memorable Quotes "I recently saw an Italian company make a patent for batteries that you can...2019-02-1946 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkUnderstanding Artificial IntelligenceWhat is artificial intelligence? It’s not what media and entertainment are making us believe. Tobi Bosede joins Dirk and Jon to demystify AI and help us better see the path ahead. Principal machine learning engineer Tobi Bosede joins Dirk and Jon to help us better understand artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and data science. We talk about what’s now, what’s next, and what’s really important. Memorable Quotes "At the end of the day, for me, my training is in applied math, so I think a lot of these...2019-02-1939 min
Creative Next: AI Automation at WorkTechnology & the Origins of CreativityWhich came first, technology or humanity? The answer might surprise you. Anthropologist Carie Little Hersh joins Dirk and Jon to look at creativity, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) through the lens of science. Anthropologist Carie Little Hersh kicks off our journey to future-proof creatives. Dr. Hersh helps us explore the evolution of creativity and technology. We discuss the relationships between humanity, technology, and creativity, how and why humans develop technology, and whether Steven Pinker's contention that this is the best time to be alive is really true. Memorable Quotes "The keys t...2019-02-1935 min