The Next Leap
The Next Leap
Podcast Description
The Next Leap is a podcast about how inventions become real-world products like Gatorade and medications like warfarin.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on topics such as technological innovation, university research, and the commercialization of scientific discoveries, with episodes covering case studies like the Vitamin D-fortified food developed by Harry Steenbock and medications such as warfarin. Key themes include the impact of university tech transfer offices and historical challenges faced in intellectual property rights.
Ever wondered how a discovery in a university lab becomes a game-changing product that impacts millions of lives? Join Thierry Heles as he explores the fascinating world of research commercialisation, where science meets innovation. Through in-depth conversations with experts – including tech transfer practitioners, venture fund managers, startup founders, and lawyers – you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the strategies and best practices that turn groundbreaking research into real-world solutions. From the anticoagulant warfarin to the sports drink Gatorade, and even the Covid vaccine, you’ll hear the fascinating stories behind some of the world’s most influential innovations, uncovering the secrets of turning research into life-changing products and services.
Is AI about to steal your job? Today, we’re tackling the messy, complicated reality of generative AI, and asking a simple question: is it actually creating anything worthwhile?
Sue Turner OBE and Richard Cole from the University of Bristol, Ben Ackland from Meaning Machine, and Megan Butler from KPMG aren’t here to wax poetic about robots. They’re staring down a terrifying trend: AI is being shoved into everything, often without the right frameworks in place. The result? A tidal wave of low-quality slop and a dangerous lack of oversight.
Cole says AI is a “recompilation engine”, but he does have concrete examples of AI uses that deliver something new, with significant human input.
This isn’t about fearmongering. It’s about asking: who controls the tools, and how do we stop AI from turning our creative industries into a bland echo chamber?
This episode is a recording of the most recent Foresight Live event. Our next event, on 6 May, will tackle AI’s cybersecurity double-edged sword. Register here and join the Foresight newsletter here to hear about future events and handpicked stories about innovation from the University of Bristol.
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