Curious: Brave New Bullshit

The Provocateurs: Brave New Bullshit

 

Update: My colleague Elizabeth Polgreen has kindly written a post for the ETAPS Blog describing my show.

Philip Wadler is a man who wears many different hats. Both literally: fedoras, trilbys, even the occasional straw hat, and metaphysically: recently retired Professor of theoretical computer science at the University of Edinburgh; Fellow of the Royal Society; senior researcher at the blockchain infrastructure company IOHK; Lambda Man; often-times favourite lecturer of the first year computer science students; and, occasionally, stand-up comedian. It is the latter role that leads me to ask Phil if he will participate in a Q&A.

[Previous post repeated below.]

Following two sell-out shows at the Fringe last year, I'm on at the Fringe again:

11.25 Monday 4 August, Stand 2 w/Lucy Remnant and Susan Morrison

17.40 Sunday 17 August, Stand 4 w/Smita Kheria and Sarah-Jane Judge

17.40 Tuesday 19 August, Stand 4 w/Cameron Wyatt and Susan Morrison

Shows are under the banner of The Provocateurs (formerly Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas). Tickets go on sale Wednesday 7 May, around noon. The official blurb is brief:

Professor Philip Wadler (The University of Edinburgh) separates the hopes and threats of AI from the chatbot bullshit.

Here is a longer blurb, from my upcoming appearance at Curious, run by the RSE, in September.

Brave New Bullshit

In an AI era, who wins and who loses?

Your future workday might look like this: 

• You write bullet points.
• You ask a chatbot to expand them into a report.
• You send it to your boss ...
• Who asks a chatbot to summarise it to bullet points.

Will AI help you to do your job or take it from you? Is it fair for AI to be trained on copyrighted material? Will any productivity gains benefit everyone or only a select few?

 

Join Professor Philip Wadler’s talk as he looks at the hopes and threats of AI, exploring who wins and who loses.

The Provocateurs: Brave New Bullshit

[Reposting with update.]

Following two sell-out shows at the Fringe last year, I'm on at the Fringe again:

11.25 Monday 4 August, Stand 2 w/Lucy Remnant and Susan Morrison

17.40 Sunday 17 August, Stand 4 w/Smita Kheria and Sarah-Jane Judge

17.40 Tuesday 19 August, Stand 4 w/Cameron Wyatt and Susan Morrison

Shows are under the banner of The Provocateurs (formerly Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas). Tickets go on sale Wednesday 7 May, around noon. The official blurb is brief:

Professor Philip Wadler (The University of Edinburgh) separates the hopes and threats of AI from the chatbot bullshit.

Here is a longer blurb, from my upcoming appearance at Curious, run by the RSE, in September.

Brave New Bullshit

In an AI era, who wins and who loses?

Your future workday might look like this: 

• You write bullet points.
• You ask a chatbot to expand them into a report.
• You send it to your boss ...
• Who asks a chatbot to summarise it to bullet points.

Will AI help you to do your job or take it from you? Is it fair for AI to be trained on copyrighted material? Will any productivity gains benefit everyone or only a select few?

 

Join Professor Philip Wadler’s talk as he looks at the hopes and threats of AI, exploring who wins and who loses.

The Provocateurs: Brave New Bullshit

Following two sell-out shows at the Fringe last year, I'm on at the Fringe again:

11.25 Monday 4 August, Stand 2 w/Lucy Remnant and Susan Morrison

17.40 Sunday 17 August, Stand 4 w/Smita Kheria and Sarah-Jane Judge

17.40 Tuesday 19 August, Stand 4 w/Cameron Wyatt and Susan Morrison

Shows are under the banner of The Provocateurs (formerly Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas). Tickets go on sale Wednesday 7 May, around noon. The official blurb is brief:

Professor Philip Wadler (The University of Edinburgh) separates the hopes and threats of AI from the chatbot bullshit.

A Profound Pun

My attempt to explain Propositions as Types to a general audience. Recorded at Bright Club, The Stand, Edinburgh, 23 September 2019.

John Finnemore on Paris

From The Now Show, Series 47, Episode 6, Friday 18 December 2015.

Good news, globally 2015 is likely to be the hottest year ever recorded. And if it is the hottest year ever recorded then it will beat the previous record holder, last year.  ...

There is genuinely, genuinely good news about the environment this week, the Paris climate deal has been signed, a global agreement made by 195 countries to try and keep temperature rise below 1.5 degrees as we move away from fossil fuels. President Orlande said "History is coming. In fact, history is here." Which I'm not sure is quite how history works. I take his point. And the Prime Minister himself said "This global deal now means the whole world has signed up to play its part in halting climate change." And what inspiring words those are. And with those inspiring words, he beetled off home to see what part he could play in this global effort. And only a few days later he managed to change the law about fracking under Britain's national parks. I know what's happened though, it's a simple misunderstanding. They've heard everyone in Paris talking about how we must move to a fossil-fuel free future and said to themselves "Hang on, there's a bit of fossil fuel left under the Lake District. Better dig that up pronto and burn it." I assume that's what happened. Either that, or it's just like when you go to the gym, and then on the way home you say to yourself "Well, I've earned myself some fish and chips". Except of course the Paris agreement is actually a collection of largely non-binding aspirations for the future, so this is more like saying "I really must go the gym more often. Well that's earned me some fish and chips."

Bright Club: Computability

A brief introduction to the hilarious subject of computability theory. Performed as part of Bright Club at The Stand in Edinburgh, on Tuesday 28 April 2015.

Bright Club

I'm performing at Bright Club, Edinburgh, Tuesday 28 April at The Stand. Doors open 7:30, show begins 8:30. See you there! Details, tickets £5.

Bright Club

Tuesday 25 November at The Stand Comedy Club, I will be part of the line up at Bright Club, speaking on the subject of 'Turingery'. Bright Club is stand-up by academics---we are trained professionals; don't try this at home! Doors open 7:30pm, show starts 8:30pm. The Stand is at 5 York Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EB. Tickets £5 at the door or online.