Let's Chat Ethics is a podcast hosted by Amanda and Oriana, two friends who discuss the state of artificial intelligence and its ethical implications. Episodes range from academic papers to art, movies, and books in the field of AI, with occasional special guests. The show is informal and wide-ranging, covering whatever AI ethics topics catch their interest. Listeners can connect with the hosts through their website at www.letschatethics.co.uk.
Episodes
The Stochastic Parrot & The Human Mind: Are We the Same?
We’re joined by Ramsay, founder and CEO of Mission Control, a leading AI Safety company building trust infrastructure for AI systems where failure is not an option. With a career spanning brain architecture, behavioral engineering, theoretical chemistry, and digital therapeutics, Ramsay has been at the forefront of where technology, innovation, and human flourishing intersect. Now, he and his
Surveillance Capitalism: Myth or Reality?
Is surveillance capitalism as dangerous as its critics claim, or have we overstated its risks? In this episode, we dive into Peter Königs' controversial defense of surveillance capitalism, challenging the dominant narrative that Big Tech is eroding privacy, manipulating politics and fueling government surveillance.We explore:🔹 The true impact of targeted advertising – is it really manipulating
The Future of AI Regulation
As the UK’s Labour government takes the reins, the future of AI regulation hangs in the balance. Will they align with the EU’s AI Act, follow the US’s light-touch approach, or carve out their own path? And with growing pressure from a potential second Trump administration, how much independence can the UK maintain?In this episode, we break down Labour’s AI strategy, the implications of Anthropic’s
AI Unplugged: Controversies, Dramas, and Geopolitics
In this episode of "AI Unplugged," we dive deep into the latest controversies and dramas shaking the world of AI. First, we unravel DeepSeek, exploring the the hype, privacy concerns and data security issues comparing this with OpenAI.Next, we delve into the high stakes drama between OpenAI and Elon Musk, examining Musk's audacious $97.4 billion bid to take over OpenAI and the ensuin
Swiping Right on Ethics: Love and Relationships in the Age of Algorithms
What would an ethical dating app look like? Can tech help us build real connections, or is it making modern love worse?
We sat down with Natasha McKeever and Luke Brunning two philosophers of love & relationships from the Centre for Love, Sex & Relationships (@University of Leeds) to explore:
📱 How dating apps shape our choices💔 The ethics of swiping culture🤖 Can AI help us find love—or ju
2025 Relaunch
We are back!! Happy 2025.. we are kicking off the year with a quick catch up on our past year, Meta's freedom of speech & Elon Musk's influence on Twitter. We are looking forward to bringing you bi-weekly news, topics and guests all in AI and AI Ethics.. stay tuned..
What's Happening with the EU's AI Act?
In this episode, we delve into the evolving landscape of AI regulation as we unravel the intricacies of the European Union's groundbreaking AI Act. Released as a comprehensive regulatory framework, the EU's AI Act is set to shape the future of AI development, deployment, and governance across the member states and the world.
Join us as we explore the key provisions of the AI Act, examining
The Role of Humans in the Future of AI with Dr. Lydia Kostopoulos
This week we were joined by the incredible Dr. Lydia Kostopoulos. Lydia is a multifaceted expert who has worked with the United Nations, NATO, US Special Operations, US Secret Service, IEEE, the European Commission, management consultancies, industry, academia and foreign governments. And havs experience working in US, Europe, Middle East and East Asia. Lydia's expertise range across AI, AI Et
Exploring AI Governance with Lofred Madzou
Happy New Year! We back in 2024 and what a year 2023 was for tech..
In this episode, we delve into the fascinating and increasingly crucial realm of AI governance. As AI continues to evolve, questions of ethics, accountability, and regulation become paramount. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities surrounding AI governance, featuring this weeks special expert guest Lofred Madzou.
The Wall of ChatGPT: Tackling Risks & Safety.. with Victoria Vassileva
This week we were joined by Victoria Vassileva who is the Sales Director at Arthur. In this episode we get into Victoria's experience on working with organisations across sectors to combat ethical challenges and risks and more specifically how at Arthur they are solving this with regards to large language models (LLMS). We also approach the topic of the media hype surrounding AI being sentient
'Sex-For-Sale': Ethical Responsibility of Sex for Sale Websites with Ruth Ikwu
This week, we welcome the innovative Ruth Ikwu, an AI Ethicist and MLOps Engineer with a solid foundation in Computer Science. As a Senior Researcher at Fujitsu Research of Europe, Ruth delves into AI Security, Ethics and Trust, playing a role in crafting innovative and reliable AI solutions for cyberspace safety. In this episode, she educates us on the evolving landscape of online sex work, discu
How to Tackle Hate Speech Online with Paul Röttger
In this episode we are joined by Paul Röttger who is CTO & Co-Founder at Rewire and completing his PHD at Oxford University in NLP. Paul chats to us about the challenges of tackling hate speech online and why he decided to pursue this challenge in his PHD as well as how he started Rewire. More recently, Paul was part of an expert team that were hired by OpenAI to 'break' ChatGPT4 calle
How Do We Value AI Art? The Philosopher's Takeover with Alba Curry & Maddy Page
The Philosophers Takeover!! This is the first in a new monthly series led by Alba Curry who is a Philosophy Professor at the University of Leeds. Alba will be joining us (as well as other special guests of her choice) once a month to do a philosophical deep dive of different episodes we have covered throughout the series. Our special guest this week is Maddy Page who is a PHD student at the Univer
AI News & Sentient Robots..
This weeks episode Oriana and Amanda discuss Sentient Robots and AI News, where we explore the latest news in AI including the famous 'Letter' signed by Elon Musk.
As AI technology advances, we are witnessing the emergence of 'sentient robots' - machines that are claimed to be experiencing emotions, developing personalities, and even exhibiting creativity. In this podcast, we explo
AI Audits & ChatGPT with Marc van Meel
This week we are joined by Marc van Meel who is an AI Ethicist and public speaker with a background in Data Science. He currently works as a Managing Consultant at KPMG, where he helps organizations navigate the ethical implications of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.
In this episode we get into the future of technology in our society, AI auditing, the upcoming AI regulation and of cours
Why is Responsible AI Important with Toju Duke
The start of a series of Responsible AI chats with Toju Duke!
Toju is a popular keynote speaker, author, and thought leader on Responsible AI. She is a Programme Manager at Google where she leads various Responsible AI programmes across Google’s product and research teams with a primary focus on large-scale models. She is also the founder of Diverse AI, a community interest organisation with a mi
Ableism in Tech with Tess Buckley
*Trigger warning* this episode we recognise includes some harmful prejudices that people with disability face and this can be upsetting for some listeners.
In this episode we are joined by Tess Buckley whose primary interests include studying the intersection of AI and disability rights, AI governance and corporate digital responsibility, amplifying marginalised voices in data through AI literacy
We are back! Let's Chat chatGPT with Dirk Hovy
Older and wiser, Oriana and Amanda are back to chatting ethics after a hiatus!
In this episode, we dive into the world of AI and the technology behind it. Meet ChatGPT, a large language model developed by OpenAI, and learn about its capabilities, limitations, and potential impact on our daily lives. From language generation to answering complex questions, we'll discover how ChatGPT works and how i
Intention, intention, intention: Are we all utilitarians when it comes to judging machines?
This week Alba and Amanda discuss a new book called How Humans Judge Machine by Cesar A. Hidalgo.
Get the book on: https://www.judgingmachines.com/
Eric Schwitzgebel's Aiming for Moral Mediocrity: https://faculty.ucr.edu/~eschwitz/SchwitzAbs/MoralMediocrity.htm
The puppy cartoon: https://images.app.goo.gl/C4zKG5hsfE6419Ra6
Emotion AI: What kind of happiness are we aiming for?
This week Alba Curry joins us to discuss emotion AI grounded on the story "Under Old Earth". Are we aiming for happiness that is "bland as honey and sickening in the end"?
Resources:
Under Old Earth by Cordwainer Smith
How emotions are made by Lisa Feldman Barret
Affective Computing by Rosalind W. Picard
Sex Robot Positivity & Intimacy with Technology with Kate Devlin
Could sex robots enhance our intimacy in relationships?
This week we are back with an incredible guest Kate Devlin who shares her super interesting research into sex robots and our relationship with technology.
Bio:
Kate Devlin is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Digital Humanities at King's College London. Having begun her career as an archaeologist before moving into computer science, Ka
Addiction Culture
Are we addicted to our smartphones? How did we function before?
This week Amanda shares her journey of giving up her smartphone (influenced by Charles Radclyffe from EthicsGrade) and we look at how social media and smart phones have infiltrated our lives!
We also have an announcement - the podcast will be bi-weekly for the summer
Beauty is in the Data of the Controller: AI for Ethical Personalisation with Simi Lindgren
Ever bought a five-star moisturiser only to find out it breaks you out? YutyBazar is tackling waste by ultra-personalising your beauty routine using AI. Find out more about how it in this week's episode!
Want to try YutyBazar yourself? https://www.yutybazar.com/
Simi Lindgren is the founder and CEO of YutyBazar.
Socials:
Twitter: @YUTYBAZAR
Insta: yutybazar
Twitter: @letschatethics
Insta: lets.
How Do You Rate Big Tech - with Charles Radclyffe
How does ESG work when rating big tech on their ethics?
This week we are joined by Charles Radclyffe who is the Co-Founder of EthicsGrade. EthicsGrade is an ESG ratings agency specialising in evaluating companies on their maturity against AI governance best-practice. Listen to why Charles decided to give up his phone pre-pandemic.. phone addiction culture has us all trapped!!
Twitter: @dataphiloso
An Eclectic Episode -Lessons Learnt to Billionaire's Morals
This week we are back reflecting on the past month of incredible guests from Chinese philosophy, ethical investing and the future of innovation. We also look the new EU regulations and how this compares to China's social scoring system. We will be going deeper into the new EU regulations in a coming episode.
The Future of Tech with Charlie Oliver
What will tech look like in 2025? This week we are joined by the amazing Charlie Oliver CEO and founder of the incredible platform Tech2025. We get deep into voice recognition, the effect of technology on children and Charlie shares her journey of founding Tech2025 and why it was so important to her.
Twitter: @itscomplicated LinkedIn: Charlie Oliver
Bio: Charlie’s years of experience in the trench
What's the Real $$$ Value of Ethics with Mike Butcher
Will venture capitalists see the value in ethical investing? Can there be growth with ethics?
This week we are joined by Mike Butcher the Editor-at-large of TechCrunch to share his expertise and knowledge about VC investment and if VCs can see the value in ethics.
Mike Butcher MBE is Editor-at-large of TechCrunch, and co-founder of Pathfounder editorial events and reports series on ‘impact innova
Facial Recognition and the Point System: Putting China’s AI Policies in Context
This week we are joined again by Alba Curry and Ryan Harte to discuss how Chinese history and philosophy have shaped China's AI policies. This episode is part 2 of the conversation.
Ryan Harte holds a Ph.D. in the comparative thought and literature of China and Greece, specialising in ethics. He has lived and taught in East Asia and the U.S. In autumn 2021 he will take up a post as Assistant Pr
From the Opium Wars to the AI Race: Putting China's AI Policies in Context
This week we are joined by Alba Curry and Ryan Harte to discuss how Chinese history and philosophy have shaped China's AI policies. This episode is part 1 and next week you can listen to the rest of the conversation!
Ryan Harte holds a Ph.D. in the comparative thought and literature of China and Greece, specialising in ethics. He has lived and taught in East Asia and the U.S. In autumn 2021 he
What does Leonardo da Vinci have on AI?
Is AI a new tool for art or does it take away the human touch?
This week we look at digital art and art created by AI after the recent news that Christie's Auction House sold the artist Beeple's digital art for $69,346,250.
Article mentions:
Art Net
Christie's Auction House
The Unsurprising Unfairness of FAIR
Is Facebook's FAIR department truly fair?
This week we chat about Facebook's role in spreading misinformation and take a look at the MIT Technology Review article, 'How Facebook got addicted to spreading misinformation' by Karen Hao.
Article: Link
Can Ethical AI Ever Work in Industry?
Can ethical AI ever work in industry? Will it take regulation or will corporations take it upon themselves?
This week we look more Google's approach to ethical AI and predictions for the future of ethical AI in industry.
Article mention: link
Human-Centric Tech with Anne T Griffin
What does human centric tech actually mean? How can we make products more accessible?
This week we are joined by the amazing Anne T Griffin to share her experience and expertise in tech.
Anne is a leader in product management, a startup advisor, and subject matter expert in AI, blockchain, tech ethics and product inclusivity. She is the founder and Chief Product Officer at Griffin Product & G
An Eventful Week in AI Ethics
This week we chat about the recent New Yorker article 'Who Should Stop Unethical AI, Google firing their co-leads of Ethical AI and we bring back the conversation about publishing unethical research.
Article: Who Should Stop Unethical AI?
Is Machine Learning the New Beef?
Is AI sustainable?
What is the carbon footprint and long term sustainability of machine learning? This week we look at an academic paper 'Energy and Policy Considerations for Deep Learning in NLP' by Emma Strubell, Ananya Ganesh and Andrew McCallum from the University of Massachusetts.
Does the Terminator Represent Ethical AI?
Will robots take over the world and come and get us? Can machines have feeling?
This week we discuss how we got into the space of Ethical AI and defining what ethical AI actually is in practical terms.
Sorry To Get Political Again..with Zeerak Waseem
Why is combating online hate speech so hard? How do we get to a safe space on social media?
We are back with Zeerak Waseem for the second part of our conversation about online hate speech. Zeerak is currently a PhD student at the University of Sheffield. He researches and specialises in online hate speech.
Disclaimer: we might have gone off topic and got political again..
Sorry To Get Political with Zeerak Waseem
What should Big Tech do about hate speech online? What CAN they do?
This week we are joined by Zeerak Waseem, who researches and specialises in online hate speech. Zeerak is currently a PhD student at the University of Sheffield. Full disclosure: we go completely off-track.
Is Trust All You Need?
Is trust the make-or-break ingredient in the future of AI? This week we continue our exploration of the EU's Guidelines for Trustworthy AI and discuss the importance of trust in AI systems.
In the podcast we mention the work of the Z - Inspection led by Dr. Roberto V. Zicari from the Frankfurt Big Data Lab, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. Below we have linked the published AI Ethics Ev
From 0 to 5 (Least-Most Likely): Can AI Detect your Moral Values?
This week we discuss a paper where researchers detect moral values from people's writing. Is a Myers-Briggs test for morality the next step in employee vetting?
Paper linked in article here
Review into Bias in Algorithmic decision- making: with Mark Durkee from (CDEI)
Happy New Year! This week we have another amazing guest joining us. Mark Durkee from the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation. In this episode Mark will be discussing the recent report that CDEI published: Review into Bias in Algorithmic decision-making.
Feliz Navidad: Our 2020 AI Ethics Roundup
Feliz Navidad everyone - our Christmas episode is here. Expect laughter, mince pies and mulled wine as we both reflect on the craziness of 2020 as well as the best and worst moments in ethical AI.
Sex Bots, Feminism in AI & DCT: A Conversation with Ivana Bartoletti
BONUS EP! We have Ivana Bartoletti joining us for a compelling conversation about the use of our data and racist / sexist AI.
Ivana Bartoletti is Technical Director, Privacy at Deloitte, and an internationally recognised thought leader in the field of responsible technology. Author of "An Artificial Revolution, on Power, Politics and AI", she starts a Visiting Policy Fellowship at Oxford Universi
Can AI solve our love lives?
This week we chat about two hot topics in the news from the past two weeks.
Can AI be the a matchmaking tool and enhance our love lives for the better? The news of Japan funding AI matchmaking to solve the declining birth rate.
Should one company be allowed ultimate power and monopoly? The Federal Trade Commission (USA) lawsuit against Facebook.
Big Tech & Ethical AI
Following on from our transparency episode, where we spoke about the issues surrounding big tech funding ethical AI research - this week we discuss the controversial and wrongful firing of Timnit Gebru from Google.
Paper mentioned:
MIT Technology Review
Bias by Design: Designing Tech for Everyone
This week we discuss bias in tech that comes from the design of the tech itself rather than the bias that is automatically learned form data.
Books mentioned:
Design Justice by Sasha Costanza-Chock
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez
Bias Data Sets
This week we are back discussing the EU Guidelines for Trustworthy AI - looking at bias data sets. This is a two part episode where next week we will talk about bias by design.
Should Unethical Research Be Published?
Should unethical research be published? As a peer reviewer should your own ethical values be considered? This week we discuss an ethics panel that took place at EMNLP 2020 - The 2020 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing.
Transparency: funding from Big Tech
Can big tech really be transparent? This week we discuss The Grey Hoodie Project a paper by Mohamed Abdalla & Moustafa Abdalla. Continuing with the EU Guidelines for Trustworthy AI - we focus on the principle of Transparency.
Privacy & Data Governance
This week we discuss Privacy and Data Governance - continuing our discussion of the EU Guidelines for Trustworthy AI.
Technical Robustness and Safety
This week Oriana and Amanda discuss Technical robustness and safety the second of the EU's Guidelines for Trustworthy AI.
Human Agency and Oversight
This is the first episode of 7 where we analyse and discuss the EU's Ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI. This week's episode we look at the first principle Human Agency and Oversight. Can true human agency exist in tech?
Who Decides What is Ethical?
In this weeks episode we tackle the topic of who gets to define what is ethical - looking at ethical guidelines and "The Algorithmic Colonization of Africa" by Abeba Birhane.
The Social Dilemma and the Problem of Responsibility
This week we discuss the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma and Ivana Bartoletti’s book “An Artificial Revolution”.
Alfie: An Interactive Robot with a Moral Compass?
Can a robot ever understand the difference between right and wrong?
This week we discuss a research paper from TU Darmstadt, Dept. of Computer Science - Darmstadt, Germany about Alfie the robot with a moral compass. Read the paper here to learn more!
Thanks for listening and if you enjoyed todays episode please subscribe!
Podcast Trailer
Want to hear about interesting topics in the AI space? Join Oriana Medlicott and Amanda Curry as they discuss anything from academic papers to art, movies and books, with a special focus on ethics.
