
Show Notes
AI is widely lauded as a way of reducing the burden on human online content moderators. However, to understand whether AI could, and should, replace human moderators, we need to understand its strengths and limitations. In this episode our hosts speak to the researchers Paul Röttger and Bertie Vidgen to discuss how they are attempting to tackle online hate speech, in particular through their work on HateCheck - a suite of tests for hate speech detection models.
More from The Turing Podcast
Space is getting incredibly crowded. With over 40,000 tracked objects zipping around at ten times the speed of a bullet, managing our orbits has shifted from a traffic problem to a critical national security mission. In this episode, we discover Project Aemelia, a pioneering initiative funded by the UK Space Agency. We see how a collaboration between the Alan Turing Institute and the University of Birmingham is rewriting the rules of Space Domain Awareness (SDA). Join host Amelia Jabry, Dr Victoria Nockles, Principal Investigator - Defence AI Research (DARe), and Professor Marina Gashinova, University of Birmingham, to explore:
In an era of increasingly unpredictable extreme weather, getting the forecast right is no longer just about what you need to wear during your morning commute. It’s about national resilience, food security, and technological sovereignty. In this episode, host Amelia Jabry is joined by Dr Scott Hosking (Mission Director for Environmental Forecasting at the Alan Turing Institute) and Professor Kirstine Dale (Chief AI Officer at the Met Office) to introduce FastNet: a groundbreaking, home-grown AI weather model developed right here in the UK. Together, they demystify how FastNet uses 3D geometry (specifically, an icosahedral mesh) to map our round planet, how it spots patterns across 40 years of climate data. They also explore why we still desperately need physics to prepare for unprecedented ‘Grey Swan’ climate events like a looming Super El Niño. They tackle the vital questions of making our AI sustainable, the critical importance of a diverse AI workforce, and why the UK must maintain its own independent weather modelling capabilities rather than relying on global tech giants. Read more about FastNet here: https://www.turing.ac.uk/research/research-projects/fastnet
Join Amelia, Andy and Ben as they discuss the challenges and opportunities of building an AI system to assist ATCOs in one of the most safety-critical industries in the world.
How can the study of ant colonies and evolutionary theory help us ensure the resilience and sustainability of global shipping? In this episode, host Amelia Jabry is joined by Professor Adam Sobey (Mission Director for Sustainability at the Alan Turing Institute) and Senior Applied Scientist Dr. Przemyslaw (Slaw) Grudniewski from Theyr. Together, they explore the ‘evolution’ of shipping route optimisation - from early concepts proposed by Alan Turing to cutting-edge Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithms. Discover how these ‘survival of the fittest’ models are being used to navigate the complex world of charter party agreements, fuel efficiency, and autonomous vessels. They also dive into the environmental impact of rerouting, discussing how a 1% change in fuel consumption can protect vital megafauna like whales, and what the melting Arctic means for the future of global trade.
The Arctic is undergoing rapid changes due to climate change, making sea ice forecasting increasingly important. In this episode of the Turing Podcast, hosts Amelia Jabry and Dr. Sophie Arana discuss the critical role of AI models like IceNet in predicting sea ice conditions and aiding conservation efforts. Featuring Dr. Ellie Bowler from the British Antarctic Survey, the conversation dives into the technical details of IceNet, its applications for wildlife conservation, and the challenges of predicting sea ice dynamics. The discussion also covers the importance of these predictions for indigenous communities and wildlife that rely on the frozen Arctic landscape. Learn how AI is revolutionising our approach to these urgent environmental challenges. Read more about our environmental forecasting work here: https://www.turing.ac.uk/blog/democratising-environmental-forecasting-age-ai Explore IceNet: https://icenet.ai/ Find out more about Dr Ellie Bowler's publications: https://www.bas.ac.uk/profile/eller/ Read more about Dr Sophie Arana here: https://www.turing.ac.uk/people/dr-sophie-arana