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The IDEMS Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by IDEMS International
Stories from a social enterprise that uses mathematical sciences in impact-oriented work around the world. Our experiences range from helping some of the world's poorest farmers get value from data, to enabling academics to use AI responsibly in their teaching. We never know what our next task will be but the last 6 years have shown that it is likely to lead to a story.
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- 3 days ago22 min
267 – The Forces Shaping AI
Continuing their discussion on the future of AI, David and Kate explore the economic and institutional forces shaping today’s dominant AI models. They discuss the roles of investment, monopoly power, research funding, and commercial incentives in driving ever-larger AI systems, and consider how these pressures influence both technological development and public narratives around AI. The conversation highlights why the current trajectory of AI is not inevitable and what alternative paths might look like.
- 1 weeks ago28 min
266 – Building Better AI with Less
Continuing their discussion on the future of AI, David and Kate explore how advances in large language models could enable a new generation of smaller, more specialised AI systems. They discuss why the next wave of innovation may come from building tools that are more efficient, focused, and responsive to real-world needs rather than simply pursuing ever-larger models.
- 1 weeks ago28 min
265 – Connectionist Versus Symbolist AI
David and Kate explore the historical divide between Symbolist and Connectionist approaches to AI, reflecting on how today’s dominant AI narratives emerged and what may have been lost along the way. They discuss the difference between expert systems built on structured human knowledge and data-driven learning systems based on neural networks, and consider the implications of each for governance, traceability, social impact, and responsible technology development. The conversation highlights how alternative approaches to AI may offer more practical and trustworthy pathways for addressing real-world challenges.
- 2 weeks ago27 min
264 – Earth Keepers versus AI Empires (Part 2)
In the second part of their discussion, David and Kate reflect more deeply on the Earth Keepers versus AI Empires convening in Zambia, exploring the diverse perspectives and tensions that emerged during the event. They discuss questions of power, governance, indigenous knowledge, and technological futures, as well as the growing recognition that current AI trajectories are not inevitable. The conversation highlights alternative visions for AI and digital technologies built around community ownership, trusted data, local governance, and smaller-scale systems designed to serve real social needs rather than concentrated power.
- 2 weeks ago23 min
263 – Earth Keepers versus AI Empires (Part 1)
In the first of a two-part discussion, David and Kate reflect on a recent convening in Zambia that brought together activists, technologists, researchers, and civil society groups concerned with the impacts of AI infrastructure and large-scale data centres. They discuss the influence of Karen Hao’s book Empire of AI, the emergence of global resistance movements around extractive AI development, and the distinction between AI as a useful tool and the broader systems of power shaping its deployment. The conversation highlights growing concerns around the resource demands and extractive dynamics associated with large-scale AI infrastructure.
- 3 weeks ago19 min
262 – Rainfall Data and Quality Control
Lily and David discuss the challenges of working with rainfall and climate data, exploring ideas of data quality, data rescue, and data accreditation. They reflect on different sources of climate data—from weather stations and satellites to reanalysis products—and examine how these can be evaluated for specific applications such as agriculture. The conversation also highlights ongoing research into rainfall intensity, satellite validation, and the importance of building evidence around which climate products are appropriate for different contexts and uses.
- 3 weeks ago20 min
261 – Embedded Scaling in Farmer Research Networks
Lucie and David continue their discussion on Farmer Research Networks (FRNs), focusing on the idea of embedded scaling and its implications. They explore how scaling out, scaling up, and scaling deep each change the nature of the data and the research itself, and reflect on the challenge of designing systems where farmers collect and use data for their own benefit while also contributing to wider learning and research.
- 4 weeks ago21 min
260 – Farmer Research Networks
Lucie and David discuss the origins and evolution of Farmer Research Networks (FRNs) within the work of the Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems. They explore how FRNs were conceived as a way to combine participatory research with large-scale data and reflect on ongoing debates around embedded scaling, participation, and the distinction between FRNs and approaches such as Participatory Action Research (PAR). The conversation highlights both the promise and the practical challenges of building research systems that are deeply contextual while capable of generating broader learning and impact.
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About The IDEMS Podcast
Stories from a social enterprise that uses mathematical sciences in impact-oriented work around the world. Our experiences range from helping some of the world's poorest farmers get value from data, to enabling academics to use AI responsibly in their teaching. We never know what our next task will be but the last 6 years have shown that it is likely to lead to a story.
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