Episode 107
Beyond ChatGPT: The Rapidly Evolving Landscape of AI – with Professor Simon Angus
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is no longer a futuristic concept. It’s here, embedded in almost every technology we use. It’s one of the most transformative forces of our time, and in this episode, we’re unpacking what that means, focusing on the powerful engines behind it: large language models, or LLM’s.
A year and a half ago, The Random Sample did an episode exploring the science behind ChatGPT and its groundbreaking use of LLM’s. Fast forward to now, and the A-I landscape has already shifted dramatically. The pace of innovation is staggering.
Today, we’re bringing back our guest from that previous episode. Simon Angus is a Professor in the Department of Economics at Monash University. Simon is also a Principal Investigator with SoDa Labs at Monash Business School, a research lab that applies new tools from data science and machine learning to answer social science questions. Simon will help us navigate what’s new, and what we should be thinking about as AI continues to reshape the world.
Whether you’re new to AI and unsure where to start, or already exploring how it can transform your work or life, this episode has something for you. Understanding this transformative technology isn’t optional. It’s essential – and Simon is here to break it all down in a way that’s clear, approachable, and practical.
Our host is Pranita Shrestha, a PhD Candidate at the Action Lab in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University.
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Additional Links
- OpenAI’s o1 Models System Card — overview of risk assessment conducted by Open AI prior to model release
- Anthropic’s updated research on Constitutional AI – now including a wider set of views for how safe AI should operate
Simon’s own research and tools:
* Discourse analysis at scale with AI technology (working paper)
* Opportunities for tracking narratives of democratic resilience using AI technology (working paper)
* Knowledge discovery and mapping at scale: Astro (astro.monash.edu)
