Best Emily M Bender Podcasts (2024)

1
98: Helping computers decode sentences - Interview with Emily M. Bender 56:10

4d ago56:10

56:10

When a human learns a new word, we're learning to attach that word to a set of concepts in the real world. When a computer "learns" a new word, it is creating some associations between that word and other words it has seen before, which can sometimes give it the appearance of understanding, but it doesn't have that real-world grounding, which can s…

1
Episode 45: Billionaires, Influencers, and Ed Tech (feat. Adrienne Williams), November 18 2024 1:00:33

1h ago1:00:33

1:00:33

From Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg, billionaires with no education expertise keep using their big names and big dollars to hype LLMs for classrooms. Promising ‘comprehensive AI tutors', or just ‘educator-informed’ tools to address understaffed classrooms, this hype is just another round of Silicon Valley pointing to real problems -- under-supported…

1
Anthony Kwame Harrison on Cassette Tapes and Hip Hop Culture 1:59:32

10h ago1:59:32

1:59:32

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Kwame Harrison, Alumni Distinguished Professor and Professor of Sociology at Virginia Tech. Harrison records and performs under the moniker “Mad Squirrel” and has co-founded two groups—the San-Francisco-based Forest Fires Collective and Washington DC’s The Acorns—as well as releasing various solo projec…

1
Episode 44: OpenAI's Ridiculous 'Reasoning', October 28 2024 1:00:11

12d ago1:00:11

1:00:11

The company behind ChatGPT is back with bombastic claim that their new o1 model is capable of so-called "complex reasoning." Ever-faithful, Alex and Emily tear it apart. Plus the flaws in a tech publication's new 'AI hype index,' and some palette-cleansing new regulation against data-scraping worker surveillance. References: OpenAI: Learning to rea…

1
Salem Elzway and Jason Resnikoff on Automation 1:21:24

21d ago1:21:24

1:21:24

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Salem Elzway, postdoctoral fellow in the Society of Fellows in the Humanities at University of Southern California, and Jason Resnikoff, assistant professor of contemporary history at the University of Groningen, about the history of automation. The discussion takes as its launching point an essay Elzwa…

1
Episode 43: AI Companies Gamble with Everyone's Planet (feat. Paris Marx), October 21 2024 1:01:22

22d ago1:01:22

1:01:22

Technology journalist Paris Marx joins Alex and Emily for a conversation about the environmental harms of the giant data centers and other water- and energy-hungry infrastructure at the heart of LLMs and other generative tools like ChatGPT -- and why the hand-wavy assurances of CEOs that 'AI will fix global warming' are just magical thinking, ignor…

1
Kids Across the Spectrums: Growing Up Autistic in the Digital Age 1:16:03

24d ago1:16:03

1:16:03

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Meryl Alper, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Northeastern University, about her recent book, Kids Across the Spectrums: Growing Up Autistic in the Digital Age (MIT Press, 2023). In addition to being a professor, Alper is also an educational researcher who has worked over the past 20 year…

1
97: OooOooh~~ our possession episode oOooOOoohh 👻 44:56

27d ago44:56

44:56

Eye of newt and toe of frog,Wool of bat and tongue of dog...In this episode, your hosts Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne get enthusiastic and ~spooky~ about possession! We talk about how the haunting type of possession and the linguistic type of possession do share an etymological origin, but how the term "possession" itself is misleading, becau…

1
Episode 42: Stop Trying to Make 'AI Scientist' Happen, September 30 2024 59:54

1M ago59:54

59:54

Can “AI” do your science for you? Should it be your co-author? Or, as one company asks, boldly and breathlessly, “Can we automate the entire process of research itself?” Major scientific journals have banned the use of tools like ChatGPT in the writing of research papers. But people keep trying to make “AI Scientists” a thing. Just ask your chatbot…

1
Pamela O. Long on the Long, Long, Long History of Technology 1:11:40

1M ago1:11:40

1:11:40

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with MacArthur “Genius Prize” winning historian Pamela Long about her long career writing about the history of ancient and Medieval technologies. The pair use Long’s forthcoming book, Technology in Mediterranean and European Lands, 600-1600 (Johns Hopkins UP, 2025), as a launching point but also cover her pr…

1
Episode 41: Sweating into AI Fall, September 9 2024 1:01:28

2M ago1:01:28

1:01:28

Did your summer feel like an unending barrage of terrible ideas for how to use “AI”? You’re not alone. It's time for Emily and Alex to clear out the poison, purge some backlog, and take another journey through AI hell -- from surveillance of emotions, to continued hype in education and art. Fresh AI Hell: Synthetic data for Hollywood test screening…

1
Emily M. Bender on AI Hype 1:11:58

2M ago1:11:58

1:11:58

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks to Emily Bender, Professor of Linguistics, Director of the Masters of Science in Computational Linguistics program, and Director of the Computational Linguistics Laboratory at University of Washington, about her work on artificial intelligence criticism. Bender is also an adjunct professor in the School of C…

1
96: Welcome back aboard the metaphor train! 35:13

2M ago35:13

35:13

We're taking you on a journey to new linguistic destinations, so come along for the ride and don't forget to hold on! In this episode, your hosts Lauren Gawne and Gretchen McCulloch get enthusiastic about metaphors! It's easy to think of literary comparisons like "my love is like a red, red rose" but metaphors are also far more common and almost un…

1
Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000, Episode 40: Elders Need Care, Not 'AI' Surveillance (feat. Clara Berridge), August 19 2024 1:00:43

2M ago1:00:43

1:00:43

Dr. Clara Berridge joins Alex and Emily to talk about the many 'uses' for generative AI in elder care -- from "companionship," to "coaching" like medication reminders and other encouragements toward healthier (and, for insurers, cost-saving) behavior. But these technologies also come with questionable data practices and privacy violations. And as p…

1
Raquel Velho on Disability, Infrastructure, and London's Public Transport System 1:28:08

2M ago1:28:08

1:28:08

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks to Raquel Velho, Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, about her recent book, Hacking the Underground: Disability, Infrastructure, and London's Public Transport System (U Washington Press, 2023). Hacking the Underground provides a fascinating ethnographic …

1
Episode 39: Newsrooms Pivot to Bullshit (feat. Sam Cole), Aug 5 2024 1:02:04

3M ago1:02:04

1:02:04

The Washington Post is going all in on AI -- surely this won't be a repeat of any past, disastrous newsroom pivots! 404 Media journalist Samantha Cole joins to talk journalism, LLMs, and why synthetic text is the antithesis of good reporting. References: The Washington Post Tells Staff It’s Pivoting to AI: "AI everywhere in our newsroom." Response:…

1
Cyrus Mody on the Importance of Square (as in NOT COOL) Scientists and Engineers 1:11:56

3M ago1:11:56

1:11:56

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks to Cyrus Mody, Professor in the History of Science, Technology, and Innovation and Director of the STS Program at Maastricht University, about his book, The Squares: US Physical and Engineering Scientists in the Long 1970s (MIT Press, 2022). Many narratives about contemporary technologies, especially digital…

1
95: Lo! An undetached collection of meaning-parts! 43:51

3M ago43:51

43:51

Imagine you're in a field with someone whose language you don't speak. A rabbit scurries by. The other person says "Gavagai!" You probably assumed they meant "rabbit" but they could have meant something else, like "scurrying" or even "lo! an undetached rabbit-part!" In this episode, your hosts Lauren Gawne and Gretchen McCulloch get enthusiastic ab…

1
Episode 38: Deflating Zoom's 'Digital Twin,' July 29 2024 1:02:29

3M ago1:02:29

1:02:29

Could this meeting have been an e-mail that you didn't even have to read? Emily and Alex are tearing into the lofty ambitions of Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, who claims the future is a LLM-powered 'digital twin' that can attend meetings in your stead, make decisions for you, and even be tuned to different parameters with just the click of a button. Referenc…

1
Benjamin C. Waterhouse on "One Day I'll Work for Myself: The Dream and Delusion That Conquered America" 1:25:35

3M ago1:25:35

1:25:35

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks to Benjamin Waterhouse, full-as-full-can- be Professor of History at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, about his book, One Day I’ll Work for Myself: The Dream and Delusion that Conquered America (Norton, 2024). The book examines how the ideal of self-employment became so prominent in the United St…

1
Episode 37: Chatbots Aren't Nurses (feat. Michelle Mahon), July 22 2024 1:00:26

3M ago1:00:26

1:00:26

We regret to report that companies are still trying to make generative AI that can 'transform' healthcare -- but without investing in the wellbeing of healthcare workers or other aspects of actual patient care. Registered nurse and nursing care advocate Michelle Mahon joins Emily and Alex to explain why generative AI falls far, far short of the wor…

1
Kate McDonald on Asian Mobility History as Labor History 1:13:33

4M ago1:13:33

1:13:33

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks to Kate McDonald, Associate Professor of History at University of California, Santa Barbara, about her fascinating research on the history of mobility in Asia and how it looks different when we approach it as a history of work and labor. The pair traverse McDonald’s career from her current project, The Ricks…

1
Episode 36: About That 'Dangerous Capabilities' Fanfiction (feat. Ali Alkhatib), June 24 2024 1:02:00

4M ago1:02:00

1:02:00

When is a research paper not a research paper? When a big tech company uses a preprint server as a means to dodge peer review -- in this case, of their wild speculations on the 'dangerous capabilities' of large language models. Ali Alkhatib joins Emily to explain why a recent Google DeepMind document about the hunt for evidence that LLMs might inte…

1
94: The perfectly imperfect aspect episode 39:01

4M ago39:01

39:01

When we're talking about an activity -- say, throwing teacups in a lake -- we often want to know not just when the action takes place, but also what shape that action looks like. Is this a one-time teacup throwing event (I threw the teacup in the lake) or a repeated or ongoing situation (I was throwing the teacup in the lake)? Both of these actions…

1
Paula Bialski on Middletech, Software Work, and the Culture of Good Enough 1:11:31

4M ago1:11:31

1:11:31

Peoples & Things host Lee Vinsel talks with Paula Bialski, an Associate Professor for Digital Sociology at the University of St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland, about her recent book, Middle Tech: Software Work and the Culture of Good Enough (Princeton UP, 2024). The pair talk about the art of ethnographic study of software work, and how, maybe,…

1
Episode 35: AI Overviews and Google's AdTech Empire (feat. Safiya Noble), June 10 2024 1:01:42

4M ago1:01:42

1:01:42

You've already heard about the rock-prescribing, glue pizza-suggesting hazards of Google's AI overviews. But the problems with the internet's most-used search engine go way back. UCLA scholar and "Algorithms of Oppression" author Safiya Noble joins Alex and Emily in a conversation about how Google has long been breaking our information ecosystem in…

1
Exploring AI with Emily M. Bender 32:24

5M ago32:24

32:24

Join us on a journey to learn more about the intersection of linguistics and AI with special guest Emily M. Bender. Come with us as we learn how linguistics functions in modern language models like ChatGPT. Episode Notes Discover the origins of language models, the negative implications of sourcing data to train these technologies, and the value of…

1
Trish Kahle on the Labor History of Energy Systems 1:01:21

5M ago1:01:21

1:01:21

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks to Trish Kahle, Assistant Professor of History at Georgetown University-Qatar, about Kahle's new project, "Power Up: A Social History of American Electricity," which focuses especially on the labor history of both constructing and maintaining the electricity grid. They also talk about Kahle's forthcoming boo…

1
93: How nonbinary and binary people talk - Interview with Jacq Jones 45:25

5M ago45:25

45:25

There are many ways that people perform gender, from clothing and hairstyle to how we talk or carry ourselves. When doing linguistic analysis of one aspect, such as someone's voice, it's useful to also consider the fuller picture such as what they're wearing and who they're talking with. In this episode, your host Gretchen McCulloch gets enthusiast…

1
Episode 34: Senate Dot Roadmap Dot Final Dot No Really Dot Docx, June 3 2024 1:03:57

5M ago1:03:57

1:03:57

The politicians are at it again: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's series of industry-centric forums last year have birthed a "roadmap" for future legislation. Emily and Alex take a deep dive on this report, and conclude that the time spent writing it could have instead been spent...making useful laws. References: Driving US Innovation in Arti…

1
danah boyd on Digital Technology and Everyday Life 1:15:31

5M ago1:15:31

1:15:31

Peoples & Things host Lee Vinsel talks with danah boyd, Partner Researcher at Microsoft Research, founder of the Data & Society Research Institute, and a distinguished visiting professor at Georgetown University, about her career and work. The pair discuss boyd's the genesis and intellectual background of boyd's now classic text, It's Complicated: …

1
From Players to Creators: Diving into the Video Game Industry 52:01

6M ago52:01

52:01

With Frank Lee, Shawn Pierre, and Jessica Creane, we discuss the future of the video game landscape and the transition from game player to game maker. We explore what draws people into the gaming space, what video games mean to the people who play and create them, and what gaming organizations are doing to push the narrative. Episode Notes Discover…

1
Episode 33: Much Ado About 'AI' 'Deception', May 20 2024 1:00:30

5M ago1:00:30

1:00:30

Will the LLMs somehow become so advanced that they learn to lie to us in order to achieve their own ends? It's the stuff of science fiction, and in science fiction these claims should remain. Emily and guest host Margaret Mitchell, machine learning researcher and chief ethics scientist at HuggingFace, break down why 'AI deception' is firmly a featu…

1
Jennifer Hart on African Mobility and Infrastructure 1:09:46

6M ago1:09:46

1:09:46

Peoples & Things host Lee Vinsel talks to Jennifer Hart, Professor and Chair of the History Department at Virginia Tech, about her work on the history and ethnography of mobility and infrastructure in Ghana. Hart’s newest book, Making an African City: Technopolitics and the Infrastructure of Everyday Life in Colonial Accra (Indiana University Press…

1
You Can Thrive Here: Local Leaders on Philly’s Move Into Ethical Tech 54:14

6M ago54:14

54:14

We explore Philadelphia's thriving tech scene and share expert advice on how to succeed in the city. From attracting and retaining tech talent to building a sense of community, we're joined by two special guests who are passionate about helping individuals and companies thrive. Episode Notes In this special LIVE recording of Fastmail’s Philly Tech …

1
Bryan Hanson on Disrupting Academic Bullying 1:27:43

6M ago1:27:43

1:27:43

Peoples & Things host Lee Vinsel talks with Bryan Hanson, ombudsperson for Virginia Tech's Graduate School, about a program he developed called Disrupting Academic Bullying, which seeks to encourage all members of academic communities to support and promote affirming environments for research and learning. Lee and Bryan talk about the reality of ha…

1
Episode 32: A Flood of AI Hell, April 29 2024 57:48

6M ago57:48

57:48

AI Hell froze over this winter and now a flood of meltwater threatens to drown Alex and Emily. Armed with raincoats and a hastily-written sea shanty*, they tour the realms, from spills of synthetic information, to the special corner reserved for ShotSpotter. **Lyrics & video on Peertube. *Surveillance:* Public kiosks slurp phone data Workplace surv…

1
92: Brunch, gonna, and fozzle - The smooshing episode 49:32

6M ago49:32

49:32

Sometimes two words are smooshed together in a single act of creativity to fill a lexical gap, like making "brunch" from breakfast+lunch. Other times, words are smooshed together gradually, over a long period of speakers or signers discovering more efficient ways to position their mouth or hands, such as pronouncing "handbag" being pronounced more …

1
Repairing Our Right To Fix it with Aaron Perzanowski 38:32

6M ago38:32

38:32

We dive into the Right to Repair with Aaron Perzanowski. Hear about the benefits of fixing our own devices rather than replacing them and the reasons why some companies create roadblocks to prevent the average consumer from doing so. Episode Notes Discover the social and intellectual function of repair, why our Right to Repair as consumers is so im…

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