The UK government has proposed banning under-16s from holding social media accounts - but does it actually protect children from AI?

Fiona and Holly are joined by child trauma psychotherapist Dr Catherine Knibbs, who isn't convinced the ban will work. They dig into what the ban is actually trying to fix, and whether removing access to named platforms touches the AI behind them - the recommendation algorithms widely described as addictive.

Covers: the UK social media ban explained, AI and addictive algorithms, will the social media ban work, what parents can actually do regardless of how the law lands.

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Official Government announcement

Dr Catherine Knibbs

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The music and graphics for this podcast have been created using AI. Credit to kaazoom for the catchy tune!

AI-powered toys are heading for this year's Christmas tree and in toy shop aisles right now, but what are they actually doing when your toddler talks to them?

Dr Emily Goodacre joins Fiona and Holly to dig into what AI toys, like Miko, mean for a young child's development, what data they might be collecting, and why a toy can't actually manage real social play the way a person can.

Covers: AI toys and child development, data and privacy risks in smart toys, and why AI can't replace real social interaction for toddlers.

Useful Links:

Dr Emily Goodacre’s research

Pedal Hub

Mattel and OpenAI partnership

Report where AI toy went rogue

AI Toy Miko

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The music and graphics for this podcast have been created using AI. Credit to kaazoom for the catchy tune!

This week Holly and Fiona get stuck into the topic of the environment, learning that measuring AI’s impact is not quite as simple as it may seem.

They’re joined by Dr Kelly Widdicks from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology to talk about how some research suggests that the data centres behind AI have the same carbon footprint as the whole of NYC.

But it’s not all bad news as Kelly also explains that there are ways we can use AI for the good of the environment.

Useful Links:

Dr Kelly Widdicks

Carbon impact of AI research (Patterns - De Vries-Gao)

UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

How Bad Are Bananas? by Mike Berners-Lee

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The music and graphics for this podcast have been created using AI. Credit to kaazoom for the catchy tune!