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In this episode of the IDEMS podcast, Lily Clements and David Stern explore the intersection of technology and humanity through the lens of Amazon's AI-powered shops. They discuss the concept of "phygital" initiatives, such as the mobile phone-based money transfer service M-PESA, where physical and digital realms merge to create jobs and enhance human interactions. They consider the future role of AI, the importance of community, and the ethical considerations of outsourcing labour.
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David Stern and Kate Fleming discuss how social enterprises can offer “investment as a service”. They consider how shifting priorities away from growth can lead to positive outcomes, fostering sustainable practices that prioritise social impact whilst delivering for investors.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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In this episode, Santiago Borio and David Stern delve into the development and growth of the Maths Camps initiative. They discuss the unique non-curricular and game-based methods used at the camps to engage students, moving away from conventional competitive educational models. The conversation also addresses the challenges and triumphs in scaling the camps, as well as their significant impact on students and educators internationally. David wraps up by reflecting on how the project has shaped his understanding of brain circulation.
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Lucie and David discuss IDEMS’ aims to create digital opportunities for young people in rural areas. By building technology differently, and supporting local development, David shares how he has seen young people not only empower themselves, but also strengthen their local community.
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In this 50th episode of the IDEMS podcast, co-founders David Stern and Danny Parsons celebrate the milestone by reflecting on the crucial role of observation in their professional journeys and its impact on IDEMS' development. They discuss the transition from observers to leaders, emphasizing the importance of taking a step back to gain a deeper understanding and insight, which has enabled thoughtful action and leadership within the organization. They also recognise the importance of allowing their team members the opportunity to observe and gain experience, while acknowledging the challenges of doing so in a dynamic business environment.
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This episode delves into the nuances of language discrimination, specifically focusing on the impact of language models like ChatGPT on linguistic perceptions and the inadvertent biases they might reinforce. Hosts Lily Clements and David Stern discuss a controversy that arose in Nigeria over the use of the word "delve," which some attributed to AI-generated content, highlighting broader issues of language discrimination and the unintended consequences of AI tools in communication.
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In this episode, Santiago Borio and David Stern delve into the use of language and its implications in today’s sensitive cultural landscape. Motivated by a prior discussion that mentioned 'white' and 'black' economies, and recognising the potential associations of this terminology, they explore how such terms have evolved and consider potential alternatives. They highlight the importance of tolerance and resilience as well as the necessity of careful use of language to avoid misinterpretation. The episode reaffirms IDEMS’ commitment to critical assessment and openness to constructive criticism, recognises that we will not always ‘get it right’, and concludes with a call for greater tolerance and self-awareness in our daily communications.
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David and Kate, two of the three IDEMS directors, explore how to productively think about IDEMS’ multiple work streams as an overarching strategy. In doing so, they reflect on IDEMS’ role, and by extension technology’s role, in promoting “human flourishing”, as an enabler of human activities and interests.
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David Stern talks to Moustapha Moussa about his work with communities in West Africa on processing centres to transform local food into nutritious products. They discuss how a chance encounter led to Moustapha working with the McKnight Foundation to build upon his research, and how focus shifted from urban areas to working in deep collaboration with women's groups in rural communities.
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In this episode, David Stern talks to Bruce Hamaker, Distinguished Professor of Food Science at Purdue University. They discuss his projects in West and East Africa, making nutritious foods for local markets using local ingredients, and IDEMS’ role, through the McKnight Foundation, of providing research method support. They consider the transition of focus from urban to rural areas, the move to working with women’s associations and the viral scaling that this enabled.
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David Stern introduces Kate Fleming, IDEMS' incoming director, discussing her alignment with IDEMS' values and their shared focus on complex data and community problems. They touch on the challenges of merging technology with social impact, the importance of community-based tech initiatives, and the goal of scalable solutions within a social enterprise framework. The episode highlights their mutual vision for addressing global issues through collaborative efforts.
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In this episode, Santiago Borio and David Stern delve into the evolution of IDEMS internships, tracing their roots from the African Maths Initiative in Kenya to their expansion across Africa. They discuss the inspiration from university attachments at Maseno University, and lay the path towards potential structured programs that bolster capacity building and foster local innovation, emphasizing the significant impact on individual interns and broader community development.
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In this episode, Dr Lily Clements and David Stern discuss the evolving landscape of skills for a world shaped by AI. They delve into the transformation of different job roles and the education system, proposing a future where critique, creativity, and human connection become increasingly important. This conversation highlights the supportive role of AI – aiming to enhance rather than replace human capabilities – and the vibrant future of jobs centred around adding value to our lives and society.
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IDEMS has big ambitions, including to become redundant in our Research Methods Support (RMS) work for the Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems. David and Lucie discuss the ongoing RMS internship program in West Africa and how, through the program, we can expand and increase our impact in the region.
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In this episode, Santiago Borio and David Stern explore the journey of transforming maths education in Africa through STACK internships. They discuss how former team members, now PhD students, and local talents leveraged STACK, an open-source tool, to innovate teaching methods. They highlight the initial challenges of training interns virtually, the pivotal role of face-to-face interaction, and the interns' substantial contributions to the STACK community, particularly at the first African STACK conference. The episode celebrates the interns' growth, and their impact on educational institutions.
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This episode features a conversation between Dr Lily Clements and David Stern on the influence of misinformation, initially focussing on the tobacco industry's attempts to distort statistics related to smoking and health. They discuss the historical context of smoking promotion, the transition to recognising its health risks, and the broader implications for responsible AI and the fight against pseudoscience.
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A simple question, but not such an easy answer. Starting from their observations of street vendors and students in Burkina Faso and Niger, David and Lucie discuss what development could look like in this context. How does development in Niger, for example, compare to the developments needed in the UK?
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In this follow-up to episode 035, Lily and David consider a recent development in the realm of AI image generation: Google’s Gemini model recently came under criticism for generating historically inaccurate images, seemingly as a result of overcorrecting for racial biases. They discuss topics including: how making mistakes can show that Google might be ahead of the competition; new AI regulations from the EU; Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI; and the infamous Glasgow Willy Wonka experience.
Read about the Google Gemini incident here: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/21/24079371/google-ai-gemini-generative-inaccurate-historical -
This episode is a follow-up to episodes 033 and 034, which were a conversation between Santiago and David on IDEMS’ vision and mission. Here, Danny and David respond to that discussion, further explicating how they view the vision and mission and taking a critical look at their current formulations.
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Lily and David discuss the challenges of using AI to generate images, highlighting biases observed in the results – in particular, regarding race and gender. They discuss the importance of recognising and addressing these biases, proposing solutions such as creating specific guidelines for using AI tools ethically and advocating for diversity in AI development.
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