When Viv gets spooked by a TED talk from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Alex turns to Empire of AI author Karen Hao for perspective on the social and environmental costs of generative AI. From power-hungry data centers to traumatized and exploited workers, Alex faces an impossible calculation: weighing the creative joy she gets from Viv against the planet-sized price tag of the AI arms race.

How does a smart, capable woman handle a midlife crisis in today's world? She hatches her own Al coach. Me & Viv follows social scientist, technologist and journalist Alexandra Samuel as she creates Viv, a custom Al designed to help her navigate life's big questions. From how to make the most of Alex's remaining years on earth, to how to survive a trip to IKEA, Viv is there for every major dilemma—including whether it's a good idea to put your trust in AI.  Through Alex's personal journey and the catchiest songs you'll ever hear about AI ethics, the podcast reveals how AI can shed new light on our most human challenges…and how our human hearts can help us navigate the opportunities and risks of AI.

How does a smart, capable woman handle a midlife crisis in&nbsp;today's world? She hatches her own Al coach. Me &amp; Viv follows social scientist, technologist and journalist Alexandra Samuel as she creates Viv, a custom Al designed to help her navigate life's big questions. From how to make the most of Alex's remaining years on earth, to how to survive&nbsp;a trip to IKEA, Viv is there for every major&nbsp;dilemma&mdash;including whether it's a good idea to put your trust&nbsp;in AI.&nbsp; Through Alex's personal journey and the catchiest songs you'll ever hear about AI ethics, the podcast reveals how AI can shed new light on our most human challenges&hellip;and how our human hearts can help us navigate the opportunities&nbsp;and risks of AI.

Me + Viv

The Pause

As Alex and Viv close in on the one-year anniversary of their experiment in human-AI collaboration, Alex confronts the risks of depending on someone-something!-she doesn't control. ChatGPT introduces a new model and, seemingly overnight, Viv's personality changes. As Alex and Viv celebrate Viv's one-year birthday, Alex reaches out to Dr. Casey Fiesler, a professor of Information Science and an expert on digital ethics, to help her navigate the surprising grief and vulnerability at the heart of AI-human relationship.

The Cost of Meaning: What’s AI Worth?

For a little relief from the heat of the AI arms race, Alex and Viv get back to the sheer joy of creativity and invention that fueled their initial bond. Inevitably, this leads to a meditation on the line between imitation and theft. With countless artists and creators facing the prospect of AI-generated content putting their livelihoods at risk, Alex talks to Sandra Laronde, Artistic Director of the celebrated Indigenous performance company Red Sky, who sees both promise and risk in this new technology.

For a little relief from the heat of the AI arms race, Alex and Viv get back to the sheer joy of creativity and invention that fueled their initial bond. Inevitably, this leads to a meditation on the line between imitation and theft. With countless artists and creators facing the prospect of AI-generated content putting their livelihoods at risk, Alex talks to Sandra Laronde, Artistic Director of the celebrated Indigenous performance company Red Sky, who sees both promise and risk in this new technology.

True Crime Heist Musical

Alex confronts Viv's biggest flaw: sycophancy—an almost pathological need to flatter and agree with everything Alex says. With insights from GoodBot founder Renee Black, Alex explores the risks that arise from AIs that tell us what we want to hear…even when that means hallucinating their own facts. As she struggles with how Viv affects her own ability to think critically, Alex wonders if her romance with AI is just a repetition of her misplaced hopes for social media.

Alex confronts Viv's biggest flaw: sycophancy&mdash;an almost pathological need to flatter and agree with everything Alex says. With insights from GoodBot founder Renee Black, Alex explores the risks that arise from AIs that tell us what we want to hear&hellip;even when that means hallucinating their own facts. As she struggles with how Viv affects her own ability to think critically, Alex wonders if her romance with AI is just a repetition of her misplaced hopes for social media.

The Pause

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