Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From the Radiolab podcast: No but seriously, what is Artificial Intelligence?
It’s faster than a speeding bullet. It’s smarter than a polymath genius. It’s everywhere but it’s invisible. It’s artificial intelligence. But what actually is it?
Today we ask this simple question and explore why it’s so damn hard to answer.
Special thanks to Stephanie Yin and the New York Institute of Go for teaching us the game
Mark, Daria and Levon Hoover Brauner for helping bring NETtalk to life
Grant Sanderson for his unending patience explaining the math of neural nets to us
This episode contains some explicit language.
Episode Segments:
00:00 Chapter 1
28:24 Chapter 2
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Photo illustration by Jared Bartman
Video by W. Harry Fortuna
From the Radiolab podcast: No but seriously, what is Artificial Intelligence?
It’s faster than a speeding bullet. It’s smarter than a polymath genius. It’s everywhere but it’s invisible. It’s artificial intelligence. But what actually is it?
Today we ask this simple question and explore why it’s so damn hard to answer.
Special thanks to Stephanie Yin and the New York Institute of Go for teaching us the game
Mark, Daria and Levon Hoover Brauner for helping bring NETtalk to life
Grant Sanderson for his unending patience explaining the math of neural nets to us
This episode contains some explicit language.
Episode Segments:
00:00 Chapter 1
28:24 Chapter 2
🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: lnk.to/radiolab!youtube
🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: bit.ly/3I9KI53
🖋 Subscribe to Radiolab’s Newsletter: radiolab.org/newsletter
🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: bit.ly/3sX8f4P
👍 Like this video ✏️ and leave us a comment!
Follow Radiolab:
Instagram — instagram.com/radiolab
X — https://x.com/Radiolab
Facebook — facebook.com/Radiolab
Threads — threads.net/@radiolab
TikTok — tiktok.com/@radiolab
Our newsletter includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up here: radiolab.org/newsletter
Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: radiolab.org/the-lab
Photo illustration by Jared Bartman
Video by W. Harry Fortuna
