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 math that powers 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…
This is the final episode. I thank everyone who has subscribed and listened to this podcast. On today's episode I have a recording from Helen Keller. Helen Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She learned to communicate through the eyes and ears of others after a fever left her deaf and blind as an infant. In this recording, Hellen Keller discusses her vision of faith and how it gives her hope for the future of mankind. This recording is from 1951. Enjoy.…
On today's episode I have a christmas classic, The Cinnamon Bear. This episode is the first of the series, in which little Jimmy and Judy go into the attic in search of a silver star for the top of their Christmas tree but find a special singing Irish teddy bear instead. This recording is from 1937. Enjoy.…
Today marks the 74th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, a date the will live in infamy. I give to you today the speech that FDR gave the day after the attack which announced america would be fighting in World War II. This recording is from 1941. Enjoy.
Martin and Lewis were an American comedy duo, compromised of Dean Martin and comedian Jerry Lewis. They met in 1945 and debuted at Atlantic City's 500 Club on July 25, 1946; the team lasted ten years. I have a recording of the two performers being interviewed (in character) on the Louella Parsons show. This recording is from 1951. Enjoy.…
On today's episode I give you an excerpt from JFK's speech "The President and the Press". This speech was given 10 days after the Bay of Pigs Invasion, in which America failed to overthrow Fidel Castro. Kennedy discusses the cold war and the balance between our freedoms of speech and the responsibility of newspapers to not publish information that might compromise national security. This recording is from 1961. Enjoy.…
On today's episode I have a recording from Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson pioneered integration in American professional athletics by becoming the first black player in Major League Baseball. In 1952 he recorded an essay for Edward R. Murrow's radio series This I Believe. In this essay, Robinson discusses his fight against prejudice. I give to you that recording in its entirety. Once again, this recording is from 1952. Enjoy.…
The 1950's was a time of absolute hysteria. Hysteria that communists were secretly living amongst Americans. The main person behind this was Senator Joseph McCarthy. Edward R Murrow and his news team fought deeply against many of McCarthy wrongful claims of communists. And on March 9th, 1954, Murrow and his news team produced a half hour special titled "A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy". I have both an excerpt from that recording and a response from Joseph McCarthy. Once again, these recordings are from 1954. Enjoy.…
On today's episode I have a recording from the show Meet the Menjous (Monjews). The Menjous were a married couple and leading members of the Motion Picture Alliance. Their radio program was completely ad-libbed and they talked about anything and everything. This episode is about slang and was recorded in 1950. Enjoy.…
Halloween is coming up so I have another horror story for you. This one is from a short story written by Ray Bradbury called Zero Hour. I'll give you the synopsis. It is a typical day in the New York home of the Morris family, and Mrs. Morris is busy with her usual routine. Her daughter, Mink, as well as all of the other young children, are intensely occupied by new, mysterious game called "Invasion." Mrs. Morris isn't bothered by the game until she gets a call from her friend in Connecticut and finds out that all of the kids are playing it there as well. When she learns that the game's "zero hour" is to be at 5:00 p.m. that day, she does begin to wonder what the kids are really up to. This story is from 1955. Enjoy.…
This week is the story "The Thing on the Fourble Board" from the radio show "Quiet Please". This story starts out a little slow and you'll learn all about the daily activities of an oil worker... but stick it out and you'll hear possibly the scariest horror story ever told on the radio and without a doubt the scariest sound ever recorded. This recording is from 1948. Enjoy.…
On today's episode I have a recording from an instructional video named Duck and Cover. In this instructional video a cartoon turtle tells children what they have to do in case of an atomic explosion. It all seems so easy. This recording is from 1951. Enjoy.
On today's episode I have a recording from the show The Candid Microphone in which a man goes into a tailor asking for a zoot suit for a kangaroo. This recording is from 1947. Enjoy.
On today's episode I have a recording of Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth Taylor, famous for her roles in Cleopatra and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, was 15 years old at the time of the recording and was just getting her start in the film business. This recording is from 1947. Enjoy.
On today's episode I have a recording from The Rudy Vallee Show. On this episode there was a speed reading contest between three famous radio announcers at the time, Ben Grauer, Graham McName, and Milton Cross. Every contestant had to read for one minute from The Walrus and the Carpenter. This recording is from 1937. Enjoy.…
On this episode I have a clip from the radio show Mind Your Manners. Mind Your Manners offers etiquette training for teens and kids. The show includes a rotating panel of kids between the ages of 8 and 18 answering questions written in by listeners. This clip is a from a speed round of etiquette questions and was recorded in 1949. Enjoy.…
مرحبًا بك في مشغل أف ام!
يقوم برنامج مشغل أف أم بمسح الويب للحصول على بودكاست عالية الجودة لتستمتع بها الآن. إنه أفضل تطبيق بودكاست ويعمل على أجهزة اندرويد والأيفون والويب. قم بالتسجيل لمزامنة الاشتراكات عبر الأجهزة.