Subvolts take Explore if teaching AI language creates true intelligence with Google DeepMind researchers. Jan 25, 2022 - Developers
- Understand the foundational research behind LLMs and the ongoing quest for AGI, informing your development strategies.
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- Learn how AI learns to communicate and the complex questions surrounding its intelligence and societal impact.
This episode features DeepMind researchers discussing fundamental AI concepts like language models and AGI, offering expert insights into current research.
Speaking of intelligence
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Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.
Hannah Fry hosts a Google DeepMind podcast episode exploring language models. DeepMind researchers Geoffrey Irving, Chris Dyer, Angeliki Lazaridou, Lisa-Anne Hendriks, and Laura Weidinger discuss if teaching computers language can lead to artificial general intelligence (AGI). The episode examines the progress, potential, and ethical challenges of large language models (LLMs) trained on vast internet data.
This podcast episode asks if teaching computers to understand and use language, like humans do, is enough to make them truly intelligent. Researchers discuss how AI learns from huge amounts of text and the big questions this raises about its future capabilities.
This episode offers insight into the core of AI development: language. It's for anyone curious about how AI learns to communicate and whether that learning equates to true intelligence. The discussion on LLMs and AGI directly relates to current advancements by OpenAI, Google Gemini, and Anthropic, highlighting the ongoing debate about AI capabilities and the ethical considerations that accompany them. Listeners will understand the foundational role of language in AI research and the complex questions surrounding its future.
- HostHannah Fry
- GuestGeoffrey IrvingDeepMind
- GuestChris DyerDeepMind
- GuestAngeliki LazaridouDeepMind
- GuestLisa-Anne HendriksDeepMind
- GuestLaura WeidingerDeepMind
- Episode Title: Speaking of intelligence
- Show: Google DeepMind: The Podcast
- Length: 38 minutes
- Interviewees: Geoffrey Irving, Chris Dyer, Angeliki Lazaridou, Lisa-Anne Hendriks & Laura Weidinger (DeepMind)
- Topic: Potential and ethical challenges of large language models (LLMs) and AGI
Hannah explores the potential of language models, the questions they raise, and if teaching a computer about language is enough to create artificial general intelligence (AGI). Beyond helping us communicate ideas, language plays a crucial role in memory, cooperation, and thinking – which is why AI researchers have long aimed to communicate with computers using natural language. Recently, there has been extraordinary progress using large-language models (LLM), which learn how to speak by processing huge amounts of data from the internet. The results can be very convincing, but pose significant ethical challenges.
For questions or feedback on the series, message us on Twitter @DeepMind or email podcast@deepmind.com.
Interviewees: DeepMind’s Geoffrey Irving, Chris Dyer, Angeliki Lazaridou, Lisa-Anne Hendriks & Laura Weidinger
Credits
Presenter: Hannah Fry
Series Producer: Dan Hardoon
Production support: Jill Achineku
Sounds design: Emma Barnaby
Music composition: Eleni Shaw
Sound Engineer: Nigel Appleton
Editor: David Prest
Commissioned by DeepMind
Thank you to everyone who made this season possible!
Further reading:
GPT-3 Powers the Next Generation of Apps, OpenAI: https://openai.com/blog/gpt-3-apps/
https://web.stanford.edu/class/linguist238/p36-weizenabaum.pdf
Never Mind the Computer 1983 about the ELIZA program, BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p023kpf8
How Large Language Models Will Transform Science, Society, and AI, Stanford University: https://hai.stanford.edu/news/how-large-language-models-will-transform-science-society-and-ai
Challenges in Detoxifying Language Models, DeepMind: https://deepmind.com/research/publications/2021/Challenges-in-Detoxifying-Language-Models
Extending Machine Language Models toward Human-Level Language Understanding, DeepMind: https://deepmind.com/research/publications/2020/Extending-Machine-Language-Models-toward-Human-Level-Language-Understanding
Language modelling at scale, DeepMind: https://deepmind.com/blog/article/language-modelling-at-scale
Artificial general intelligence, Technology Review: https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/10/15/1010461/artificial-general-intelligence-robots-ai-agi-deepmind-google-openai/
A Definition of Machine Intelligence by Shane Legg, arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/0712.3329
Stuart Russell - Living With Artificial Intelligence, BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001216k/episodes/player
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Questions people ask
- What are large language models (LLMs)?
- LLMs are AI systems that learn to speak by processing huge amounts of data from the internet. Their results can be very convincing.
- Can teaching a computer language create artificial general intelligence (AGI)?
- The episode explores this question, examining the potential of language models and the significant ethical challenges they pose.
Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to Hannah Fry.