AI: Unpacking the Black Box
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Asia Tabb
Aired; October 3rd, 2024.
AI: Unpacking the Black Box is a WITF original production. The first episode ‘The Origins of AI’ premiered on Thursday. John McElligott the host and producer of the series says the purpose of the show was rooted in the future of AI.
“I think one of the big things for us is this show might seem like it’s about A.I., but it’s actually about the future of humanity in the age of A.I.. It’s one of the reasons we’re not just talking to technologists, “said McElligott.
Mitch Mathias is also a producer for the show. According to him, the show originally was for an older demographic.
“We felt like that was a group that really didn’t understand or understand almost nothing about it or maybe heard the term, but that was about it. But I feel like as we go through the show. I mean, it’s going to be on TV and it’s also streaming. So, you know, the demographics there are different. TV tends to get a little bit older. So, these days anyway. But we are putting it everywhere because I feel like a lot of what we’re covering and planning on covering is for any group that just wants to know more about it, “said Mathias.
Through watching the show, viewers will get to see how AI can be utilized. There will also be AI voiceovers, and generated versions of McElligott.
“So, there may be times, you see, and I me, it looks real. Sounds real, but it’s not me. But we realize with the speed at which this technology was moving, the ability to edit was just really a small portion of the production because things are happening so quickly. One of the unique things we’ve done, and nobody’s done this before, is I get to interview some of these experts. We do it remotely on a podcast style, and then we’re taking segments of that interview. We’re feeding that into an AI that’s creating the prompts. And those prompts are helping Mitch, and the team create the visuals. So, you’re seeing us work hand in hand with the AI. The idea is not replacing everything we’re doing. It’s augmenting it and accelerating it in ways that are allowing us to keep up with the pace of change, “said McElligott.
There will be a total of eight episodes of AI: Unpacking the Black Box on WITF TV. Both producers are looking to educate folks about the power of AI.
“I think one of the things that came up with me that just, you know, we talked about as we were starting this project or early on was sort of like if we can get across sort of talking about what A.I. is and what it’s doing and how it’s becoming more humanlike, maybe we sort of make people think about what it means to be human almost as compared to a computer or A.I., that kind of thing. I don’t know if that’s going to come across, but I hope that it does, “said Mathias.
CLICK HERE to watch the first episode.
