Category Archives: The Reality Check Episodes

TRC #683: AI News: Sora, Gemini 1.5 and Implications + Jailbreaks by Hiding Files in Cakes

Darren gives us a news roundup of some recent things happening in the world of AI including OpenAI’s text to video tool Sora, Google Deepmind’s Gemini 1.5, as well as what implications this and other upcoming technologies could have on … Continue reading

Posted in The Reality Check Episodes | 2 Comments

TRC #682: Oppenheimer Movie Discussion

We try something a little different on the latest episode of The Reality Check. Having recently seen the movie Oppenheimer Darren and Adam have a discussion about this great film. If you haven’t seen the movie already it might be … Continue reading

Posted in The Reality Check Episodes | 2 Comments

TRC #681: Are Poinsettias Poisonous? + Mickey Mouse and the Public Domain

Put down that poinsettia salad, checkers. Darren looks into a popular myth that poinsettia plants are poisonous to animals, including people. Then Adam looks into what’s been going on with Mickey Mouse and Steamboat Willie as he explores trademark, copyright … Continue reading

Posted in The Reality Check Episodes | Leave a comment

TRC #680: Annual Predictions: 2024 Edition + Down Syndrome Strength + A Special Message From Pat and Cristina

This year we retire our annual prediction segment with a final look back at how accurate, or rather how innacurate, we were in our predictions of what would happen in 2023. Darren examines the validity of a popular claim that … Continue reading

Posted in The Reality Check Episodes | 1 Comment

TRC #679: A Chat With Author Darren McKee: Uncontrollable

The crew gets to interview TRC’s very own Darren McKee, author of the critically acclaimed book, ‘Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World’. We chat about the challenges of writing a first book, some … Continue reading

Posted in The Reality Check Episodes | Leave a comment

TRC #678: Darren’s AI Book is Out!

Wondering what the heck is going on with AI?  Why are some people so concerned? Darren’s new beginner-friendly book Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World addresses exactly those questions. In an engaging and … Continue reading

Posted in The Reality Check Episodes | 2 Comments

TRC #677: Interview with Yoshua Bengio

  World-renowned AI expert Yoshua Bengio talks with Darren McKee and Adam Gardner about his long career, why advanced AI could be harmful, and whether open-source of powerful AI models is a risk. Download direct: mp3 file http://traffic.libsyn.com/therealitycheck/TRC_677.mp3

Posted in The Reality Check Episodes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

TRC #676: Phenylephrine Ineffective? + Bees Are Doing Fine

Cristina delves into the latest FDA advisory announcement shedding light on the ineffectiveness of phenylephrine, a widely used ingredient in several nasal decongestants. Adam revisits the myriad of news stories and worries surrounding bees and the issue of colony collapse … Continue reading

Posted in The Reality Check Episodes | Leave a comment

TRC #675: Mashup: The Centrifuge Brain Project + Avril Double + V-Steaming

It’s another mashup where we give you three segments from previous shows.  First we revisit Pat’s deep dive on a viral video of an amusement park ride.  Next Adam takes on an Avril Lavigne conspiracy that she died and was … Continue reading

Posted in The Reality Check Episodes | Leave a comment

TRC #674: How Does AI Image Generation Work? + Why Is A Bug Called A Bug?

Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Dall-e. Darren digs into an explanation of how artificial intelligence generates images and whether or not it is just copying.  Cristina looks at the fascinating history of why a computer glitch is called a bug.  Download direct: mp3 … Continue reading

Posted in The Reality Check Episodes | Leave a comment