The Audio Long Read

The Audio Long Read

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‘There’s this deep mystery of what, actually, is this thing?’: the philosopher inside Google DeepMind AI

Since 2017, Iason Gabriel has worked at the tech giant, trying to anticipate – and think through – the impact of AI. But as commercial and geopolitical pressures escalate, can ethicists make any difference? By Robert P Baird. Read by Simon Darwen. Help support our independent jou ...  Show more

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‘There’s this deep mystery of what, actually, is this thing?’: the philosopher inside Google DeepMind AI

Since 2017, Iason Gabriel has worked at the tech giant, trying to anticipate – and think through – the impact of AI. But as commercial and geopolitical pressures escalate, can ethicists make any difference? By Robert P Baird. Read by Simon Darwen. Help support our independent jou ...  Show more

From the archive: Battle of the botanic garden: the horticulture war roiling the Isle of Wight

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2023: When a US businessman took over a beloved garden a decade ago, he decided on a radical new approach, all in the name of ...  Show more

‘Navigating the unknown together’: me and my idiot AI boyfriend

I believe that chatbots have no place in a decent society, and am repelled by the topic of AI in general. But could I be seduced? By Lauren Oyler. Read by Kate Handford. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod 

‘He liked that people were scared of him’: my year unpicking fantasy and reality with a veteran of Italy’s football ultras

I’ve met many hardcore, violent fans, but the hostage-negotiating, cocaine-smuggling, Marxist-Leninist Alessandro Casolari still stood out By Tobias Jones. Read by Bert Seymour. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod 

From the archive: Leave no trace: how a teenage hacker lost himself online

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2021: Edwin Robbe had a troubled life, but found excitement and purpose by joining an audacious community of hackers. Then the ...  Show more