The Leader podcast: Will ‘thinking’ AI and blockchain run future cities?

FILE PHOTO: The Canary Wharf business district is seen at dusk in London
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Following reports Google has developed a “sentient” artificial intelligence chatbot allegedly capable of reasoning and thinking, what is the future role of AI and the vast amounts of data washing around London?

For a special edition, we’re at Westminster’s QEII Centre for the first day of London Tech Week, which has been rebranded for the week as a trendy “campus” for leading lights in technology to get together.

We ask City Hall’s Chief Digital Officer Theo Blackwell about the practicalities of using data as a tool to address violent crime, poverty and pollution, and whether blockchain’s actually viable for running city services.

Plus, we discuss facial recognition privacy, and is there enough oversight to stop the machines taking over?

We also look at what role AI might actually play in our working and personal lives in the near future.

To answer these questions, we hear from David Guile, Professor of Education and Work at UCL, who discusses the role of humans in the 21st Century workplace, and the trick to knowing if you’re speaking to a human or a chatbot.

Listen here or here:

You can also find us on your Spotify Daily Drive or wherever you stream your podcasts.

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