#21 Responsible Media Coverage: Hype in Our Stories About Chatbots | WeAreSTS

Is AI sentient? Do machines have souls? I’ve got an even better question: are these questions the most important ones we should be asking? Headlines claiming machines could be alive are definitely eye-catching. But hype does not come unaccompanied: misinformation, fear, and fake news are close friends with sensationalism. They target audiences who probably know enough about the topic, but not enough to critically analyse the information fed to them. Understanding the role the media plays in opinion-making about new science and technology is vital when we are dealing our own decision making over risk, harm, and benefit. Further information on Hype, Chatbots, and AI Gemma Milne, 2020. Smoke & Mirrors: How Hype Obscures the Future and How To See Past It (listen to our episode interviewing Gemma) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/world/siri-alexa-ai-gender-bias.html https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/2022/06/dangerous-fallacy-sentient-ai The full conversation between Google engineers and LaMDA is available online. Featuring Reporter and researcher Andréa Lekare Kun Interviewees Dr Stephen Hughes, Lecturer in UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) Dr Amanda Rees, Professor in the Sociology Department at the University of York Dr Nina Seppala, Deputy Director (Academic Affairs) of the School of Management at University College London Host Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology Music credits Intro and Exit music “Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeod https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5 Interval music “Andréa’s theme” by Michael Sansbury Podcast information WeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast This site also includes information for how STS students and staff can get involved with our programme. WeAreSTS producer is Professor Joe Cain. Twitter: @stsucl #WeAreSTS