Ken Wenger, automation safety expert and author of “A Layperson’s Guide to AI,” discusses generative AI and how neural nets work

Ken Wenger is the author of the forthcoming book Is the Algorithm Plotting Against Us?: A Layperson’s Guide to the Concepts, Math, and Pitfalls of AI. I’ve been reading it and it is excellent. Ken is a deep thinker and a great writer. He’s also the senior director of research and innovation at CoreAVI and chief technology officer at Squint AI. 

His work focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence and determinism, enabling neural networks to execute in safety critical systems. Kenneth has co-authored two articles in the scholarly journal Machine Learning with Applications and several white papers for different publications, including Embedded Computing Design. He also holds several patents under CoreAVI’s auspices.

Listen and learn…

1. How neural nets emulate the brain to make decisions
2. Why we have to be careful when using the term "intelligence" to describe "AI" systems
3. When Ken trusts machines to make decisions… and when he doesn't 
4. Why LLMs like ChatGPT "hallucinate"
5. How generative AI replicates human bias
6. Why Ken feels "if we haven't addressed ethical issues we're not ready to deploy AI solutions"
7. What AI explainability is and why it's important

References in this episode…

• Ken's book: "Is the Algorithm Plotting Against Us: A Layperson's Guide to AI"
• Krishna Gade, Fiddler CEO, on AI and the Future of Work
• CoreAVI
• Squint AI
• Surprising results from the Pew Research Center's survey about attitudes toward generative AI