BBC podcast

1:14:43

Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves? Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthroughs that have propelled machine learning from simple perceptrons to the sophisticated algorithms shaping today’s AI revolution, powering GPT and other models. The discussion aims to demystify some of the underlying mathematical concepts that power modern machine learning, to help everyone grasp this technology impacting our lives–even if your last math class was in high school. Anil walks us through the power of scaling laws, the shift from training to inference optimization, and the debate among AI’s pioneers about the road to AGI—should we be concerned, or are we still missing key pieces of the puzzle? The conversation also delves into AI’s philosophical implications—could understanding how machines learn help us better understand ourselves? And what challenges remain before AI systems can truly operate with agency? If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for exclusive insights and updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits. Links: Read Why Machines Learn, Anil’s latest book on the math behind AI https://www.amazon.com/Why-Machines-Learn-Elegant-Behind/dp/0593185749 Learn more about Anil Ananthaswamy’s work and writing https://anilananthaswamy.com/ Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s TED Talk on AI and intelligence https://www.ted.com/speakers/anil_ananthaswamy Discover the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship that shaped Anil’s AI research https://ksj.mit.edu/ Understand the Perceptron, the foundation of neural networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptron Read about the Perceptron Convergence Theorem and its significance https://www.nature.com/articles/323533a0…

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515 episodios

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BBC

1
Donald Trump backtracks on some tariffs 26:29

hace 2 hours26:29

26:29

President Donald Trump signs a deal to suspend some of the Canada tariffs until April 2, hours after signing a similar exemption for Mexico. Presenter Rahul Tandon examines what the change in policy means. Also, Syria gets a lifeline after the UK unfreezes assets and lifts sanctions on multiple oil groups. Plus, the Danish postal service will deliver its last letter at the end of the year. It ends 400 years of a letter-sending service in the country.…

BBC

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Zelensky says he'll meet US officials in Saudi Arabia 37:44

hace 2 hours37:44

37:44

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he'll meet US officials in Saudi Arabia next week, where he'll discuss peace with Russia. European leaders are scrambling to boost defence spending, while in Washington DC President Trump again questioned the value of NATO.The Pope has released an audio message to well-wishers after three weeks in hospital.And we speak to a photographer whose image of a Canadian goose fending off an attack by an American eagle was seized upon by Canadians as a metaphor for their stand against Donald Trump's bellicose rhetoric.…

BBC

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EU leaders agree to bolster defence amid Russia’s war with Ukraine 48:42

hace 3 hours48:42

48:42

European leaders met today in Brussels as part of an emergency defence summit, as Ukraine continues its war against Russia. The Polish President had previously announced plans to spend more than 4.7% of its GDP on defence. Spain, however, recently defended its target of spending only 2% of its GDP on defence. We speak to a former Spanish foreign minister about why it spends so little on protection compared to other European states. Also in the programme: US President Donald Trump pauses most of his administration’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada; and Denmark’s postal service says it will stop delivering letters by the end of the year.(Photo: EU Council President Antonio Costa, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrive for an European Special Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, 6th March 2025. Credit: Christophe Petit-Tesson/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)…

BBC

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An uncertain forecast for meteorology 44:19

hace 4 hours44:19

44:19

As the new administration in the US continues to make cuts to government agencies and scientific funding, NOAA – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been particularly trimmed. This week the professional organisation for weather forecasters – the American Meteorological Society has published a statement pleading for clemency, arguing that the whole US Weather Enterprise is at risk. It’s current president elect, veteran weather broadcaster Alan Sealls describes how it’s not just US weather forecasts that appear bleak.As the journal Science Advances publishes a special edition highlighting areas of women’s health research, we speak with two researchers who may have found a link between menopause – or perhaps hormonal changes – and the age it occurs, with Altzeimer’s Disease. Madeline Wood or the University of Toronto and Kaitlin Casaletto of UCSF describe how synaptic health – the fitness of the brain - at death seems even to be less attenuated in women who used hormonal therapy during their menopause. It is not however, yet suggested they are causally connected. But we do connect research vessel Polarstern to have an update from Autun Purser and Nottingham University’s molecular biologist Liz Chakrabarti on their nearly completed voyage to the Weddel Sea, in the challengingly chilly Antarctic. They are gathering data and surveying the fauna on the sea floor below what is mostly covered in 3-4 meters of ice. The Icefish they see there are some of the only vertebrates not to have haemoglobin – nor even red blood cells – in their blood. So how, we wonder, do they actually move oxygen around their bodies? Maybe when the team publish their findings – which they are racing to do - we’ll find out.Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Alex Mansfield Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth(Image: National Hurricane Center Monitors Hurricane Beryl's Activity In The Caribbean. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)…

BBC

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06/03/2025 12:59

hace 6 hours12:59

12:59

Natasha plays her trump card, and Lilian attempts a cover up.

BBC

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How does Europe continue to fund Ukraine's war effort? 28:13

hace 9 hours28:13

28:13

As European leaders meet to discuss defence spending, we get the view of the former head of the European Central Bank on how nations will afford future support for Ukraine.We'll hear about the challenges for the trans-Pacific supply chains, as tariffs begin to bite.And if you fly through Afghan airspace, who do you pay and how?…

BBC

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Will a west African single currency work? 33:35

hace 9 hours33:35

33:35

The Ecowas countries are aiming to roll out a regional single currency - the Eco - in 2027. But past launch dates have come and gone, so will they meet the new target date and will a single currency work?Malawi's agriculture minister refutes the claim that a global decline in tobacco use is affecting farmers in the country. But is his government also helping tobacco farmers to diversify?And South Africa is running out of snake antivenom. What does that mean not only for South Africa, but other countries on the continent?Presenter: Charles Gitonga Technical Producer: Philip Bull Producers: Sunita Nahar and Nyasha Michelle in London. Blessing Aderogba in Lagos Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi…

BBC

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Zelensky thanks Europe as he arrives at Brussels summit 46:26

hace 10 hours46:26

46:26

European leaders are meeting in Brussels at what's being described as a turning point in history. They're discussing a large increase in defence spending following Washington's decision to suspend assistance to Ukraine. But can they agree? Also in the programme: Turning the garbage can of our immune system into a powerful source of antibiotics; and the man with all the vibes - jazz-funk pioneer Roy Ayers - has died.(Photo: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speak to the media as they attend a European Union leaders special summit to discuss Ukraine and European defence, in Brussels, Belgium March 6, 2025. Reuters/Stephanie Lecocq)…

BBC

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Millie Bobby Brown's video, Tuppence Middleton on OCD, 30 years of Lush 59:37

hace 12 hours59:37

59:37

A video made and posted by Stranger Things actor Millie Bobby Brown has gone viral. In it she criticises the recent press articles about her appearance, saying "this isn't journalism, this is bullying". The 21-year-old posted a three-minute monologue on her Instagram page, in which she called out article headlines and the names of the reporters who wrote them. Anita Rani is joined by Anita Bhagwandas, beauty journalist and author of Ugly, Olivia Petter, journalist with the Independent and Morgan Fargo, Beauty and Wellness Editor British Vogue to talk about the impact of Millie calling this behaviour out.Today the General Medical Council has announced that for the first time since their records began, women doctors practising medicine in the UK are greater in number than their male counterparts in the UK. It is an historic moment, but the announcement also acknowledges that women are more likely to be affected by discriminatory behaviour during their medical training and some specialisms still have relatively low numbers of women. To discuss the challenges faced by women doctors, Anita is joined by Professor Dame Carrie MacEwan, a consultant Ophthalmologist and Chair of the GMC and Dr Leanne Armitage, a locum doctor working in General Medicine and co-founder of the Armitage Foundation for young people from under-represented backgrounds who want to study medicine.Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition that affects less than 2 percent of the population. For as long as the actor and star of Downton Abbey Tuppence Middleton can remember, she has had recurring unwanted intrusive thoughts that led to compulsions such as mental counting, checking and handwashing. She also has emetophobia, an intense fear of vomiting. Tuppence joins Anita to discuss her memoir ‘Scorpions,’ which explores nearly thirty years of living with OCD and the impact it has had on her daily life. As the beauty brand Lush marks 30 years Anita is joined by one of the co-founders and product designer, Rowena Bird. Starting with one shop in Dorset, Lush now has over 800 stores in 51 countries, so how do they balance their ethical credentials with their global reach?Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt…

BBC

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Man police describe as one of UK's most prolific sex abusers studied in NI - could there be victims of him here? 1:19:01

hace 13 hours1:19:01

1:19:01

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly defends the Programme for Government

BBC

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Sir John Soane 53:25

hace 15 hours53:25

53:25

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the architect Sir John Soane (1753 -1837), the son of a bricklayer. He rose up the ranks of his profession as an architect to see many of his designs realised to great acclaim, particularly the Bank of England and the Law Courts at Westminster Hall, although his work on both of those has been largely destroyed. He is now best known for his house in Lincoln’s Inn Fields in London, which he remodelled and crammed with antiquities and artworks: he wanted visitors to experience the house as a dramatic grand tour of Europe in microcosm. He became professor of architecture at the Royal Academy, and in a series of influential lectures he set out his belief in the power of buildings to enlighten people about “the poetry of architecture”. Visitors to the museum and his other works can see his trademark architectural features such as his shallow dome, which went on to inspire Britain's red telephone boxes.With: Frances Sands, the Curator of Drawings and Books at Sir John Soane’s MuseumFrank Salmon, Associate Professor of the History of Art at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Ax:son Johnson Centre for the Study of Classical ArchitectureAnd Gillian Darley, historian and author of Soane's biography.Producer: Eliane Glaser In Our time is a BBC Studios Audio production.Reading list:Barry Bergdoll, European Architecture 1750-1890 (Oxford University Press, 2000)Bruce Boucher, John Soane's Cabinet of Curiosities: Reflections on an Architect and His Collection (Yale University Press, 2024)Oliver Bradbury, Sir John Soane’s Influence on Architecture from 1791: An Enduring Legacy (Routledge, 2015)Gillian Darley, John Soane: An Accidental Romantic (Yale University Press, 1999)Ptolemy Dean, Sir John Soane and the Country Estate (Ashgate, 1999)Ptolemy Dean, Sir John Soane and London (Lund Humphries, 2006)Helen Dorey, John Soane and J.M.W. Turner: Illuminating a Friendship (Sir John Soane’s Museum, 2007)Tim Knox, Sir John Soane’s Museum (Merrell, 2015)Brian Lukacher, Joseph Gandy: An Architectural Visionary in Georgian England (Thames and Hudson, 2006)Susan Palmer, At Home with the Soanes: Upstairs, Downstairs in 19th Century London (Pimpernel Press, 2015)Frances Sands, Architectural Drawings: Hidden Masterpieces at Sir John Soane’s Museum (Batsford, 2021)Sir John Soane’s Museum, A Complete Description (Sir John Soane’s Museum, 2018)Mary Ann Stevens and Margaret Richardson (eds.), John Soane Architect: Master of Space and Light (Royal Academy Publications, 1999)John Summerson, Architecture in Britain 1530-1830 (9th edition, Yale University Press, 1993)A.A. Tait, Robert Adam: Drawings and Imagination (Cambridge University Press, 1993) John ...…

BBC

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Boxing Sisters: Yazidi women boxing back to health 28:28

hace 24 hours28:28

28:28

In Northern Iraq, Yazidi women and girls who have been the victims of brutal sexual enslavement and lost swathes of their family and community to genocide at the hands of IS, are finding an unusual way to heal - boxing. Since 2014, when ISIS began targeting Yazidis because of their religious identity, those who survived the genocide have been confined to internally displaced persons camps in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Here conditions are difficult and the women and girls still struggle to process all that has happened to them. So, in 2018, in the face of limited mental health support, Taban Shoresh and her team took a radical approach by offering boxing training to help the women and girls channel their emotions and anger.…

BBC

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Donald Trump announces a one-month postponement for auto tariffs 28:15

hace 1 day28:15

28:15

President Trump pulls back on imposing tariffs on North American-made cars—at least for now. The BBC’s North America business correspondent, Michelle Fleury, explains the rationale behind the decision. U.S. investment giant BlackRock secures a $23 billion deal to acquire ports along the Panama Canal, coinciding with Trump’s promise to "reclaim" the canal if he returns to office. Whayt does this mean for Panama’s economy and global trade?And we find out why World Cup organisers are planning a Super Bowl-style half-time show for the 2026 final for the first time.…

BBC

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EU leaders prepare for emergency security summit 37:25

hace 1 day37:25

37:25

As Washington confirms it has suspended some intelligence sharing with Kyiv, EU leaders prepare to hold an emergency summit in Brussels. We ask what Europe needs to do to defend itself and Ukraine, while Latvia's defence minister tells us his country could join a 'coalition of the willing' in Ukraine.Also in the programme: the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has publicly distanced herself from new sentencing guidelines, which say a defendant's faith and ethnicity should be considered when deciding on prison sentences; and rave reviews for a video game that is about managing a museum rather than shooting up enemies or driving fast cars.…

BBC

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US stops sharing intelligence with Ukraine 47:14

hace 1 day47:14