Eliza, the beyond AI Podcast
About Eliza
Eliza is the podcast where you will meet a wide range of scientists, professors and professionals within AI who will share their perspectives and knowledge about the technology already forming our everyday lives today. The aim of the podcast is not only to give our listeners a deeper understanding of what AI is capable of today but also to give different points of view on the technology and its usage.
Hosting the podcast are Sepideh Pashami, Senior Lecturer in AI/Machine Learning from Halmstad university, and Amanda Åberg, UX & Service Designer from the design agency inUse. Together, and in conversation with the guests, they take on different subjects related to AI and make it understandable for a broad audience in order to shine a light on this important topic and its impact on our lives.
At the end of each episode, you will hear a sample of AI-generated music from AIVA (https://www.aiva.ai/) to hopefully surprise you (or maybe disappoint you) about what AI is capable of.
Season 2 – Episodes
Episode 1 – ELIZA News at Halland Tech Week’s AI day in Halmstad
Episode Synopsis: In this first episode of season two we start off with a special episode recorded at the Halland Tech Week in Halmstad. The theme of the day was AI so of course we had to be there to check out what is going on within the AI scene in Halmstad and Halland. During the day we had the opportunity to talk to several of the interesting speakers and during this episode you get to hear snippets from the interviews with Carin Madsen Kollberg, who speaks about sustainability and AI. After that Emma Andersson gives us a sneak peak into how consultancies think about AI and how to find the right competencies. We had honor to speak to senior lecturer in cognitive neuroscience, Oscar MacGregor, and hear his perspectives on intelligence and AI. Anna Felländer was also in Halmstad and gave us a brief overview about the EU AI Act and how ethics and AI go together. And last but not least Pontus Wärnestål made a reappearance on the podcast to once again share his insight within the field of design and AI. And big thank you to Hi5 and Anna Petersson for inviting us and we are already looking forward to next year’s event.
Guests in this episode:
Carin Madsen Kollberg
Emma Andersson
Oscar MacGregor
Anna Felländer
Pontus Wärnestål
Anna Petersson
Links to Additional Information:
https://hallandtech.se/
Episode 2 – How can AI be used in climate research?
Episode Synopsis: Olof Mogren, research leader at RISE, talks about some of the interesting projects he is involved in right now. We get to learn more about how AI can support researchers in understanding how nature changes and behaves through audio recordings and sound recognition. Listen to this episode to learn more about a fascinating technology that made us feel hopeful about the future.
Guest:
Olof Mogren
Senior Researcher at RISE
Music:
All music in this podcast is made with AIVA
ELIZA AI News – February 2024
Episode Synopsis: In this first episode of ELIZA AI News we will give some background on how the podcast and Halmstad university is connected to each other, we visit Pontus Wärnestål at the university who gives us an update on what courses are running right now. We also speak to Anna Peterson from HighFive to hear what she has to share about recent AI activities in Halmstad. And last but not least Johan Cedmar Brandstedt from HiQ and Tor Palm from HighFive joins the podcast to talk about things like Nightshade, Apple Vision and the Metaverse.
Additional Links:
High5 Halmstad
MAISTR
Music:
All music in this podcast is made with AIVA
Episode 3 – AI and the metaverse
Episode Synopsis: As an Associate Professor of Experience Design and Information, Andrea Resmini shares his interesting ideas and philosophy on what happens when digital environments merge with physical space. In this episode we talk about how physical space and the digital layer are constantly effecting each other and what that implies for people and business. What kind of products and services can we be expecting in the future? What makes sense for businesses and humans? And what learnings from our immediate physical environment can we bring into the digital realm? Andrea also gives us his perspective and explain to us the concept about the Metaverse and how it all connects to AI.
Guest:
Andrea Resmini
Associate Professor in Experience Design and Information at Halmstad University
Additional Guest Information:
https://andrearesmini.com
Music:
All music in this podcast is made with AIVA
ELIZA AI News – April 2024
Episode Synopsis: Have you heard about 0-click viruses and how does Sora stand against the new UN and EU legislation? And where could you find ethical GenAI models? If any of these subjects make you curious don’t miss out on our latest episode of ELIZA AI News where we report about AI both locally and globally – from Halmstad to the world.
Music:
All music in this podcast is made with AIVA
Episode 4 – Copyright and GenAI or DeGenAI?
Episode Synopsis: What do the laws say about the new technologies we see in generative AI or also called degenerative AI? What kind of compensation can artists expect and how should you as a user relate to these new technologies. Johan Cedmar-Brandstedt gives us some refreshing perspectives on this discussion and how both companies and individuals are relating to the subject at the moment. Don’t miss out on this episode and please let us. know your opinion about GenAI/DeGenAI!
Guest:
Johan Cedar-Brandstedt
Business and Concept Development at HiQ
Music:
All music in this podcast is made with AIVA
Episode 5 – Open source and AI
Episode Synopsis: In this episode we have invited Albert Bifet who is here to talk about open source in relation to AI. He is currently a guest professor at Halmstad University and is known for his work and research on machine learning for data streams, a field which he has nearly 20 years of experience in. Albert has been working on the development of open source software like Moa, Weka and River. In this episode we both discuss the benefits and risks with open source – and what should be open and what not. We also talk about how the development of ML-algorithms have developed through the years.
Guest:
Albert Bifet
Guest Professor at Halmstad University
Music:
All music in this podcast is made with AIVA
Episode 6 – Ethical AI
Episode Synopsis: In this episode we have the honor to have Anna Felländer, the founder of anch.ai as a guest. Anna has a background as an economist and has worked both as an advisor for the government as well as a chief economist at Swedbank. In 2018 she founded anch.ai, which aims at helping companies to comply with AI regulations and develop AI ethically. In this conversation we cover both the new EU AI Act as well as why it is so important that we regulate and try to mitigate the risks with AI.
Guest:
Anna Felländer
CEO and Founder, anch.ai
Music:
All music in this podcast is made with AIVA
Season 1 – Episodes
Episode 0 – Eliza Podcast Trailer
Episode Synopsis: This is a short trailer to launch “Eliza – The Beyond AI Podcast”. After a short introduction, we will tell you what inspired us to name the podcast “Eliza”, and we will explain the structure of each episode.
Music
“On the Edge” – AI-generated Rock track composed by AIVA
Sponsors
Postproduction by
Emil Johansson & Leon Johansson
Students from the Programme for Media- and Communications Science with Focus on Health at Halmstad University
Episode 1 – AI for Designers
Episode Synopsis: Why is it important for designers to learn more about AI and what kind of problems arise as we approach this new design material? Pontus Wärnestål has recently released his new book “Designing AI-powered services,” which goes into depth on the subject of AI as a design material. Listen to this episode to learn more about all the different aspects of design and AI.
This episode was recorded in late 2022.
Guest:
Pontus Wärnestål
Associate Professor of Interaction Design at Halmstad University
Author and Public Speaker
Additional Guest Information:
https://warnestal.com/
Music
“Among the Stars, Op. 31” – AI-generated track by AIVA
Sponsors
Postproduction by
Elin Claesson & Amanda Trägårdh
Students from the Programme for Media- and Communications Science with Focus on Health at Halmstad University
Episode 2 – Lifelong Learning
Episode Synopsis: It is never too late to enjoy self-motivated learning for either personal or professional reasons. In this episode, we discuss the topic of lifelong learning and how education is changing from a traditional setting to an online and need-to-know basis. With us, we have Stefan Byttner, associate professor and head of the Department of Intelligent systems and Digital design, Halmstad University. He is also one of the main driving forces for promoting professional education.
Guest:
Stefan Byttner
Professor of AI/Machine Learning at Halmstad University
Additional Information:
Stefan Byttner on LinkedIn
Music
“Momentous Occasion, Original Composition for Paradigm Shift 2018” – AI-generated track by AIVA
Sponsors
Episode produced by
Emil Johansson & Leon Johansson
Students from the Programme for Media- and Communications Science with Focus on Health at Halmstad University
Episode 3 – Deep Learning for Robot Perception
Episode Synopsis: How do robots learn human behaviour? In this episode, we touch upon the technical aspects of how to actually teach robots behaviours, what deep learning means in this context and how neural networks work. With us, we have Eren Erdal Aksoy, associate professor of Halmstad university, who explains very well how AI can actually learn how to see and what computer vision is.
Guest:
Eren Erdal Aksoy
Associate Professor of Information Technology at Halmstad University
Additional Guest Information:
Eren Erdal Aksoy on LinkedIn
https://aksoyeren.github.io/
Music
“Battle Royale, Op. 32” – AI-generated track by AIVA
Sponsors
Postproduction by
Emil Johansson & Leon Johansson
Students from the Programme for Media- and Communications Science with Focus on Health at Halmstad University
Episode 4 – AI-Generated Music
Episode Synopsis: How can AI generate Music? Can AI be creative? Is AI going to replace musicians? Today’s guest is Bob L. T. Sturm, who is an associate professor at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. Bob will explain the Musaic project, which explores Artificial creativity in folk music.
Guest:
Bobby Lee Townsend Sturm
Associate Professor at KTH
Additional Guest Information:
Bobby Lee Townsend home page
Music at the Frontiers of Artificial Creativity and Criticism project
Music
“Letz make it happen, Op. 23” – AI-generated track by AIVA
Sponsors
Postproduction by
Therese Johansson & Ellen Liljeklev
Students from the Programme for Media- and Communications Science with Focus on Health at Halmstad University
Episode 5 – Sci-Fi Stories about AI
Guest:
Pontus Wärnestål
Associate Professor of Interaction Design at Halmstad University
Author and Public Speaker
Additional Guest Information:
https://warnestal.com/
Episode Synopsis: Since when have humans dreamt about creating AI? And do the stories we tell about technology have an effect on what we actually develop? In this episode, former guest Pontus Wärnestål revisits us to talk about AI and Sci-Fi.
Music
“Demo Celtic Danse for Orchestra, Op. 14” – AI-generated track by AIVA
Sponsors
Postproduction by
Elin Claesson & Amanda Trägårdh
Students from the Programme for Media- and Communications Science with Focus on Health at Halmstad University
Episode 6 – Social Robotics
Guest:
Martin Cooney
Associate Professor of Robotics at Halmstad University
Episode Synopsis: How do we humans relate to robots? Do we trust robots more than we would trust other humans? And where in society would it make sense to actually use robots to help with social interactions? In this episode, Martin Cooney shares with us his experiences from working with social robotics in a variety of different contexts.
Music
“Op.24 ‘I am AI’ Nvidia GTC ’17 Keynote Soundtrack” – AI-generated track by AIVA
Sponsors
Postproduction by
Therese Johansson & Ellen Liljeklev
Students from the Programme for Media- and Communications Science with Focus on Health at Halmstad University
Episode 7 – AI Start-ups
Guest:
Anita Sant’Anna
Data Innovation Strategist
Episode Synopsis: How do you know if your company is ready to implement AI, and what kind of infrastructure and mindset would you need to have in place? Anita Sant’Anna is working with HighFive to help companies explore their AI-related ideas and quickly build prototypes to understand what AI could do for them. In this episode, she speaks about the startup scene and what to think about in order to have success with your innovative ideas.
Additional Guest Information:
HighFive in Halmstad
Music
“Op. 22 For Piano Solo” – AI-generated track by AIVA
Sponsors
Postproduction by
Ida Bengtsson & Tindra Wallered
Students from the Programme for Media- and Communications Science with Focus on Health at Halmstad University
Episode 8 – Design Ethnography: How do people learn to live with technology
Guest:
Vaike Fors
Professor of Design Ethnography at Halmstad University
Episode Synopsis: In this episode, we have Professor in Design Ethnography at Halmstad University, Vaike Fors, with us. Vaike shares with us her exciting work within the interdisciplinary field of Human-Computer Interaction. Listen to learn more about how people learn to live with technology and how we, as businesses and society, can start building the products and services that people really need.
Additional Guest Information:
A Human Approach (AHA) Project
Vaike Fors on LinkedIn
Music
“String Trio Op.22 in D Minor, Elegancia” – AI-generated track by AIVA
Sponsors
Postproduction by
Ida Bengtsson & Tindra Wallered
Students from the Programme for Media- and Communications Science with Focus on Health at Halmstad University
Episode 9 – Data-driven Health Care
Guest:
Philip D. Anderson
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Mass General Brigham Global Advisory
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Episode Synopsis: What does data-driven health care mean, and what are the challenges when dealing with very sensitive data? Philip D. Andersson, emergency medicine physician, explains how technology can be helpful in the healthcare system but also elaborates on the challenges of collecting sensitive data from patients.
Additional Guest Information:
Health Data Centre at Halmstad University
Region Halland, Health Innovation (Swedish)
Music
“Octet No 1 in D Major Op 3 A Little Chamber Music” – AI-generated track by AIVA
Sponsors
Postproduction by
Filip Dahlhielm & Georgi Shoshev
Students from the Programme for Media- and Communications Science with Focus on Health at Halmstad University
Episode 10- AI in Designing Candy Crush
Guest:
Sahar Asadi, PhD
Director of AI Labs at King
Episode Synopsis: In this episode, we get to chat with Sahar Asadi, who leads AI research for game development. Sahar is really at the forefront of applicable AI and gives us a lot of insight into how AI is used today in order to speed up the development of games. At the end of the episode, Sahar also gives some perspective of where she thinks future development will take us, listen in to learn more!
Additional Guest Information:
Sahar Asahi on LinkedIn
Music
“Op 1 for Piano Solo in D Major” – AI-generated track by AIVA
Sponsors
Postproduction by
Filip Dahlhielm & Georgi Shoshev
Students from the Programme for Media- and Communications Science with Focus on Health at Halmstad University