This week we’re taking a deep dive into artificial intelligence(AI), deepfakes, and optical illusions. What is real and what isn’t? Let’s find out.
Yours in media,
Elizabeth He, Visual Communications Editor
P.S. Want to know what’s on this week? To get the full printable primetime schedule, visit gbh.org/explore and sign up for the GBH Daily, which delivers news and a daily reminder of programming you don’t want to miss.
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From the arts to history to drama and beyond, dig into a weekly interesting topic featuring GBH programming.
Artificial Intelligence
NOVA: A.I. Revolution (episode)
Can we harness the power of artificial intelligence to solve the world’s most challenging problems without creating an uncontrollable force that ultimately destroys us? Explore the promise and perils of new AI technologies.
Will AI Dismantle the Modeling Industry? (clip)
Photos of real models are being transformed into digital avatars. Can you tell who is real and who is virtual?
AI for Mental Health (audio & article)
People are using ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence apps to help them with emotional issues, but what are the risks?
Deepfakes
“Particles of Thought”: The Deepfake Detective (podcast)
In a world flooded with fake images, manipulated videos, and AI-generated voices, how do we know what’s real anymore? A leading voice in AI research and digital forensics, Hany Farid, has made it his mission to find out.
Can Technology Detect Deepfakes Better Than Humans Can? (clip)
Researchers are trying to develop tools to thwart deepfakes in several different ways. How can we prevent these digital tricks?
Recipe of the Week
Pumpkin and Olive Hummus (recipe)
This pumpkin hummus is orange and black for a slightly spooky look, without the ick-factor. For those accustomed to eating pumpkin desserts, try this sweet-savory-spicy blend of flavors for a pleasant surprise.
Optical Illusions
Fake or Physics (clip)
Guess which of these five unbelievable facts are real physics. Watch to find out.
NOVA and David Pogue Explore Smoke Rings (clip)
The source of these smoke rings is a little...unexpected.
How Illusions Can Explain Reality (video)
Illusions teach us how our brain constructs a three-dimensional reality using 2-D images. How does this work?
Spooky Time
With Halloween around the corner, here are some old-school spooky movies:
- Topper (1937): A carefree couple dies in a car accident but returns as ghosts to help a stuffy banker friend.
- The House on Haunted Hill (1959): Vincent Price offers five guests $10,000 if they can survive a night in his haunted house.
- The Last Man on Earth (1960): Vincent Price is immune to a plague that has turned everyone into vampire-like creatures.
Bumps in the Night Collection from American Archive of Public Broadcasting (archives)
Featuring over 130 television and radio shows from the late 1950s to the 2000s, this collection paints a rich picture of how topics related to the otherworldly and human anxieties about the supernatural have been approached in public broadcasting throughout the years. Let’s dig through.
Off Topic
- Delight your taste buds during this interactive, liquid chocolate tasting class. Explore a history of drinking chocolates. (virtual event)
- It’s flu shot season. Connecting the Commonwealth: Unraveling Immunity reports on the increasing vulnerability of Massachusetts residents to vaccine-preventable diseases. Check out this series.
- Art museums can help people with dementia improve cognitive symptoms and form social connections. See how the Museum of Fine Arts hosts special tours for people with memory loss. (clip)
