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PODCAST

Machines Like Us

The Globe and Mail

Machines Like Us is a technology show about people. We are living in an age of breakthroughs propelled by advances in artificial intelligence. Technologies that were once the realm of science fiction will become our reality: robot best friends, bespoke gene editing, brain implants that make us smarter. Every other Tuesday Taylor Owen sits down with the people shaping this rapidly approaching future. He’ll speak with entrepreneurs building world-changing technologies, lawmakers trying to ensure

technology

All Episodes

00:26:17

Damian Collins on Joining Forces to Regulate Big Tech

Machines Like Us ·

2020/07/30

Online advertisement and social media platforms have had a major impact on economies and societies around the globe. Those impacts are happening in retail, with the shift in spending from brick and mortar to online; in advertising, where revenues have moved from print and broadcast to online social platforms; and in society more broadly, through algorithmic-amplified extremism and hate speech. The big tech companies at the centre of these shifts have little incentive to change the nature of their

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00:34:12

Emily Bell on Journalism in the Age of Social Media

Machines Like Us ·

2020/07/16

Journalism has had a storied history with the internet. Early on, the internet was a niche market, something for traditional publishers to experiment with as another medium for sharing news. As it gained popularity as a news source, newsrooms began to change as well, adapting their business models to the digital age. Newspapers had historically generated revenue through a mix of subscriptions, advertising and classifieds. But internet platforms Craigslist and Kijiji soon took over classified. Google

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00:28:36

Matt Stoller on Taking on the Tech Goliaths

Machines Like Us ·

2020/07/02

Is it possible to access the internet without interacting with the big five American tech companies? Technically, yes, but large swaths of the web would be inaccessible to consumers without the products and platforms created by Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Alphabet, Google’s parent company. In this episode of Big Tech, co-hosts David Skok and Taylor Owen speak with Matt Stoller, the director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project and the author of Goliath: The 100-Year War

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00:38:18

Maria Ressa on How Social Media Can Destabilize...

Machines Like Us ·

2020/06/16

Social media platforms have assumed the role of news distribution sources, but have largely rejected the affiliated gatekeeper role of fact-checking the content they allow on their sites. This abdication has led to the rise of fake news, disinformation and propaganda. In this episode of Big Tech, co-hosts David Skok and Taylor Owen spoke with journalist and Rappler founder Maria Ressa just days before her conviction in a high-profile cyber-libel case against her, as well as her colleague Reynaldo

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00:32:44

Carly Kind on Contact-tracing Apps

Machines Like Us ·

2020/06/04

Efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have essentially shut down the economy. Now, as regions now look to reopen, the focus is shifting to minimizing further infection by monitoring the virus’s spread and notifying people who may have been exposed to it. Public health authorities around the globe have deployed or are developing contact-tracing or contact-notification mobile apps. Apple and Google have partnered to develop a Bluetooth-based, contact notification application programming interface,

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00:21:35

Joseph Stiglitz on a Post-COVID-19 Economy

Machines Like Us ·

2020/05/21

The impact of COVID-19 on the global economy was swift and substantial. Unemployment numbers are reaching depression-era levels and nations are clamouring to unveil stability packages intended to lessen the economic impact. Will these measures work to restore the economic status quo, or is this an opportunity to rethink our economic structures? In this episode of Big Tech, co-hosts David Skok and Taylor Owen speak with Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate economist and a professor at Columbia

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00:30:50

Douglas Rushkoff on Reclaiming Our Humanity on the...

Machines Like Us ·

2020/05/07

Modern digital tools have brought about new conveniences, enabling many to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. But despite our countless ways to connect with each other, studies increasingly show that people are more isolated, more depressed and less empathetic than before.In this episode of Big Tech, co-hosts David Skok and Taylor Owen speak with Douglas Rushkoff about the internet’s evolution from an emerging technology to the monopolistic system we have today. Rushkoff is a professor of

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00:26:55

Angie Drobnic Holan on the Importance of...

Machines Like Us ·

2020/04/23

Social media platforms enable a free flow of content — regardless of source. And because of that system, content creators and online influencers (whether they are credible or not) shift public opinion, and spark polarization. Governments and platforms have been working on this issue, but now, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dissemination of factual, credible information — and the removal of misleading information that could cause harm — is urgent.In this episode of Big Tech, co-hosts David

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00:02:00

Season 2 Begins April 23

Machines Like Us ·

2020/04/09

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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00:32:20

Sasha Havlicek on Mitigating the Spread of Online...

Machines Like Us ·

2020/03/12

Companies, international organizations and government agencies are all working to identify and eliminate online hate speech and extremism. It’s a game of cat and mouse: as regulators develop effective tools and new policies, the extremists adapt their approaches to continue their efforts. In this episode of Big Tech, Taylor Owen speaks with Sasha Havlicek, founding CEO of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, about her organization and how it is helping to eliminate online extremism and hate

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00:25:12

Mark Scott on Europe’s New Data Strategy

Machines Like Us ·

2020/02/27

Earlier this month, Facebook’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg travelled to Europe ahead of the European Commission’s announcement of a new data strategy plan. The proposed regulations would seek to give Europe a competitive advantage by establishing data trusts to foster development in artificial intelligence technology. The tension between Silicon Valley and Brussels was on full display during Zuckerberg’s visit: while the tech executive was welcomed in state-visit fashion, his recommendation for

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00:44:14

Ben Scott on the Internet’s Evolving Role in Politics

Machines Like Us ·

2020/02/13

In this episode of Big Tech Taylor Owen sits down with Ben Scott, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Luminate, to discuss how the internet has evolved throughout Scott’s time in Washington, DC. Scott has worked for Bernie Sanders, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the State Department and then on her election campaign. Discussing Scott’s evolving role in digital policy, Owen says: “wherever the internet has been, you have been.” While working on cable regulations in Washington DC in 2003, Scott

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00:37:19

Joanna J. Bryson On Regulating the Software Behind...

Machines Like Us ·

2020/01/30

There’s a false narrative surrounding artificial intelligence (AI): that it cannot be regulated. These idea stems, in part, from a belief that regulations will stifle innovation and can hamper economic potential, and that the natural evolution of AI is to grow beyond its original code. In this episode of Big Tech co-hosts David Skok and Taylor Owen speak with Joanna J. Bryson, professor of ethics and technology at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin (beginning February 2020). Professor Bryson

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00:41:31

Anand Giridharadas on How Taxes — Not Philanthropy —...

Machines Like Us ·

2020/01/16

There is a growing sense that governments are not able to effectively solve the problems of the world. The narrative that governments are slow, costly and not informed enough to make the right decisions. This stands in contrast to the private sector; business leaders are regarded as effective leaders because they generate incredible wealth. The “savior complex” is particularly strong among the wealthiest tech executives. Their world view is rooted in the idea that we can use technology to solve

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00:42:37

James Der Derian on How Quantum Tech Will Change Our...

Machines Like Us ·

2020/01/02

Google and IBM are in a race to achieve quantum supremacy — both sides claim that they are winning. But what does quantum supremacy really mean? Quantum technologies have the ability to solve complex solutions to build better materials, design more effective pharmaceutical treatments or optimize large distribution networks. Nations or corporations that can harness the power of quantum technologies will have an advantage over their competitors. The leap in technology could be so great that it could

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00:39:54

Katherine Maher on Tools for Combating Disinformation

Machines Like Us ·

2019/12/19

Truth and facts are not the same thing. To find truth, we must combine the best available information (what we know to be facts) with our own lens. This is especially challenging on social media: posts may be presented as if they are truthful, but truth comes with some subjectivity. This is where fact checking tools — like the encyclopedic knowledge of Wikipedia — are essential. That is, if they present neutral information, offer unbiased results, have a transparent process and are able to be

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00:46:06

David Carroll on the Dark Side of Digital Advertising

Machines Like Us ·

2019/12/05

Online platforms like Facebook and Google Ads are positioned as superior tools for micro-targeting advertisements. The promise of greater returns on investment and granular control over who will engage with an ad has attracted advertisers. In this episode of Big Tech, co-hosts David Skok and Taylor Owen speak with David Carroll, an associate professor of media design at Parsons School of Design at The New School. Carroll’s own understanding of the ways in which platforms were monetizing his online

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00:42:43

Kate Klonick on Facebook’s Oversight Board

Machines Like Us ·

2019/11/21

Facebook is establishing a 40-person oversight board to pass rulings on whether or not content should remain on their platform. The board aims to represent all regions of the world, rulings are set to be released in multiple languages and decisions about content to be made expeditiously. Only one researcher, Kate Klonick, was invited in to observe the process that went into establishing the framework for this oversight board. In this episode of Big Tech co-hosts David Skok and Taylor Owen speak

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00:46:12

Rana Foroohar on How Tech Lost Its Way

Machines Like Us ·

2019/11/21

After discovering several small charges to her credit card that totaled upward of US$900, Rana Foroohar figured her card must have been stolen. She quickly realized those micro-transactions were coming from a game her son was playing. Unknowingly, he was spending real money inside a free-to-play game. As a journalist, Rana was fascinated by the way in which apps were capturing people’s attention and wallets. In this episode of Big Tech co-hosts David Skok and Taylor Owen speak with Rana Foroohar,

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00:04:26

Nobody Cares About Privacy and Technology: Taylor and...

Machines Like Us ·

2019/10/25

Taylor Owen and David Skok have known each other for many years; their work in democracy and journalism ensures that their paths often cross. Taylor is an academic studying technology’s transformative impact on democracy. David has spent his journalism career in the thick of an ever-changing media landscape. They both recall one meeting at a restaurant in Toronto about ten years ago, when Taylor brought together a group of academics and journalists to discuss how technology was reshaping society

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