Episode description

For our host Suze, the countdown to Christmas means three things - excitement, new gadgets, and an almost daily dose of Disney in one form or another. So, since it's December, let's tick off a hattrick of all three of those boxes with this special extra-long conversation with Dr Danny Hillis - inventor, innovator, and the founder of Applied Invention. Want to avoid that annual appraisal or procrastinate around your 2025 planning? Grab a drink and a chocolate orange, and spend 50 minutes hearing from the legend that developed the knowledge graph that provides the foundations for Google Search. In this conversation, Danny chats with Dr Suze Kundu about his journey from building the fastest computers to founding Applied Invention, emphasising the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in solving complex problems. He reflects on the legacy of Thinking Machines and its impact on parallel computing and artificial intelligence, as well as his role in developing the Google Knowledge Graph. Danny also addresses the challenges of misinformation in the digital age and the need for a robust infrastructure to discern truth. He highlights the significance of aesthetic design in technology and the potential for future advancements in knowledge representation.

Read more here⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠watch the episode here⁠⁠.

Series lead and interviewer: ⁠⁠Dr Suze Kundu⁠⁠, Director of Researcher and Community Engagement, ⁠⁠Digital Science⁠⁠. Filming and production support: Huw James, Science Story Lab. Filmed at the Applied Invention Massachusetts office, Cambridge, MA, USA. Recorded in April 2024.