The Shape of Things to Come

Doug Burger of Microsoft Research introduces a new podcast series, The Shape of Things to Come. The series covers what shape AI will take as it changes the world going forward, and what researchers, policymakers, and business decision-makers need to think about.

Burger emphasizes that the pace of technological advancement is too fast to pin down exactly what the future will look like, but that the direction of the future changes depending on what problems researchers choose to solve and what technologies they choose to build. He says AI gives humans great potential while also bringing risks, and that this change is happening so quickly that it's hard to see where it's headed.

The goal of the series is to broaden understanding of the direction AI is heading, and to more deeply explain the technology stack, the challenges at the frontier, and the problems that remain unsolved. Ultimately, the content aims to help more people understand the meaning of the AI transition and to expand shared awareness so that this change can lead to a future that is a net benefit to humanity.