Katherine Maher on the future of trusted information

01/24/24 • 53 min

1 Listener

What would it take for AI to become as trusted a source of information as Wikipedia?

Katherine Maher, former CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, joins the show to talk about the fundamental building blocks of trust behind Wikipedia.

The use of AI will fundamentally reshape what information is distributed on the internet—and how. Reid, Aria, and Katherine talk about what creating and scaling positive spaces and community-driven ideas online would look like in the context of AI.

Could in-text citation be a viable option for generative AI? What was Wikipedia’s response to being used as training data for AI models? Globally, the West currently appears far less optimistic about AI than the rest of the world. They discuss that cost and more.

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Read the Washington Post article referenced by Katherine here.

Read Luis Villa’s newsletter here.

Pre-order What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson here.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all of the episodes, visit www.possible.fm/podcast.

Topics:

03:57 - Hellos and intros

06:00 - AI and governance

12:25 - How to make trust and neutrality possible in AI

15:30 - The future of Wikipedia and AI

19:28 - What can AI companies learn from Wikipedia’s model?

21:29 - Should LLMs use citations?

25:02 - The impact of the internet on trust

28:48 - How to regain trust in society

34:50 - The importance of “the loyal opposition”

36:01 - Wikipedia didn’t happen at scale

38:37 - How to make the internet a positive place for dissent

43:01 - Wikipedia and AI training

47:17 - Rapidfire questions

The award-winning Possible podcast is back with a new season that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future.

This season, hosts Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger are speaking with a new set of ambitious builders and deep thinkers about everything from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion.

Possible is produced by Wonder Media Network and hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger. Our showrunner is Shaun Young. Possible is produced by Edie Allard, Sara Schleede, and Paloma Moreno Jiménez. Jenny Kaplan is our executive producer and editor. Special thanks to Katie Sanders, Surya Yalamanchili, Saida Sapieva, Ian Alas, Greg Beato, and Ben Relles. And a big thanks to Katherine Farrell, Jenny O'Donoghue, and Little Monster Media Company.

What would it take for AI to become as trusted a source of information as Wikipedia?

Katherine Maher, former CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, joins the show to talk about the fundamental building blocks of trust behind Wikipedia.

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Read the Washington Post article referenced by Katherine here.

Read Luis Villa’s newsletter here.

Pre-order What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson here.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all of the episodes, visit www.possible.fm/podcast.

Topics:

03:57 - Hellos and intros

06:00 - AI and governance

12:25 - How to make trust and neutrality possible in AI

15:30 - The future of Wikipedia and AI

19:28 - What can AI companies learn from Wikipedia’s model?

21:29 - Should LLMs use citations?

25:02 - The impact of the internet on trust

28:48 - How to regain trust in society

34:50 - The importance of “the loyal opposition”

36:01 - Wikipedia didn’t happen at scale

38:37 - How to make the internet a positive place for dissent

43:01 - Wikipedia and AI training

47:17 - Rapidfire questions

Previous Episode

Kerry Washington on connection, identity and AI

How can technology change—and actually deepen—human connection?

Kerry Washington is an Emmy-winning, SAG-and-Golden Globe-nominated actor. She’s also a director, and producer, and New-York-Times-bestselling author of the memoir Thicker Than Water. She joins the podcast to talk about how AI and other technology can transform our most important relationships. She, Reid, and Aria also discuss AI’s impact on the entertainment industry; her use of social media to elevate the hit TV show “Scandal;” and how a DNA test evolved her definition of family. Plus, Kerry reacts to an AI avatar of Reid, and to some Olivia-Pope-related brainstorming support from Inflection’s Pi.

Read the transcript of this episode here.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all of the episodes, visit www.possible.fm/podcast.

Topics:

4:10 - Hellos and intros – travel memories

7:33 - Kerry explains the title of her memoir

9:43 - How technology transformed Kerry’s relationship with her parents

14:17 - Kerry’s found family from Scandal

16:44 - How technology made Scandal a hit

24:24 - Kerry meets Reid’s AI avatar

26:23 - Consent and compensation when using AI in Hollywood

29:58 - Why Kerry is excited about AI

32:34 - Pi’s lessons from Olivia Pope

35:35 - How AI can amplify creativity and connection

42:43 - Transparency and AI

45:38 - What a post-AI world means for a 9-year-old

48:22 - Rapid-fire questions

Possible is produced by Wonder Media Network and hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger. Our showrunner is Shaun Young. Possible is produced by Edie Allard, Sara Schleede, and Paloma Moreno Jiménez. Jenny Kaplan is our executive Producer and editor. Special thanks to Katie Sanders, Surya Yalamanchili, Saida Sapieva, Ian Alas, Greg Beato, Ben Relles, Rae Steward, Tamer Mokhtar, Nicole Butler, Katie Greenthal, Haley Asofsky, Braden Thole, Blair Nelson, Huy Q. Nguyen, Jon Giardiello, Hour One AI, and Little Monster Media Company.

Next Episode

Reflections on AI and season two

What can we learn from the OpenAI saga? What role might AI play in the 2024 election? What’s the deal with the New York Times suing OpenAI? How will AI evolve our sense of human purpose?

Reid and Aria reflect on season two of Possible and answer questions like these from a variety of sources: Listeners, Pi, ChatGPT, and each other.

Read the transcript of this episode here.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all of the episodes, visit www.possible.fm/podcast.

Topics:

00:48 - Reflecting on the season

03:51 - Reid and Aria’s favorite new AI developments

06:30 - Segment: OpenAI

06:34 - What can we learn from the OpenAI saga?

10:58 - Does the nonprofit model make sense for OpenAI and beyond?

13:46 - Why was OpenAI able to get miles ahead?

16:36 - How will the lawsuits against OpenAI play out?

21:06 - Segment: Inflection

21:09 - How and why was Pi created?

24:25 - How can we create more empathy and humanity with AI?

27:45 - What are Aria’s favorite applications for AI?

29:53 - Segment: Ethical AI

29:54 - How will AI impact our social interactions?

34:09 - How do we prepare people in the workplace for AI?

37:53 - Segment: Election and governance

37:54 - What role will AI play in the election?

43:12 - Is the government equipped to regulate AI?

46:47 - What role should AI play in national security?

49:18 - Segment: Technology and the future

49:19 - What is the latest in AI hardware?

51:49 - How will AI change our sense of purpose?

Possible is produced by Wonder Media Network and hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger. Our showrunner is Shaun Young. Possible is produced by Edie Allard, Sara Schleede, and Paloma Moreno Jiménez. Jenny Kaplan is our executive producer and editor. Special thanks to Katie Sanders, Surya Yalamanchili, Saida Sapieva, Ian Alas, Greg Beato, and Ben Relles. And a big thanks to MacLean Fitzgerald and Little Monster Media Company.