Curious Minds is where big questions meet everyday curiosity, exploring how science, technology, and imagination shape our world. From kids to grandparents, everyone can find something to spark their mind here.

If you think the AI revolution is just about flashy robots or sci-fi movies, think again. Today we explore the two worlds of 2025, where quiet, life-saving miracles collide with hard-learned lessons about safety and human dignity.

In this episode (Ep. 13): Join host Maya as we dive into the silent AI revolution — from a rice field in Bihar where a text message saves a harvest, to a courtroom in New York where a chatbot lies to a judge, to a seaside town where seagulls declare war on delivery robots.

We break down how artificial intelligence is reshaping life for everyone from lonely seniors in Kyoto to single moms in Colombia, what experts worry about regarding bias and safety, and the surprising ways innovators are building guardrails out of past mistakes.

You’ll hear about:

• The weather alert that fed families: How a simple notification helped farmers in India beat a delayed monsoon.

• The courtroom hallucination: The story of the lawyer who trusted a chatbot and the price of that mistake.

• The robot that remembers: How AI is bridging the gap of loneliness for the elderly in Japan.

• Physics vs. Fashion: Why digital designers realized that even virtual clothes need to respect gravity.

And here’s the takeaway: Every guardrail in AI exists because someone paid a price, meaning the future of technology isn't just about code—it's about protecting human dignity.

The stakes have never been higher, and the opportunities have never been greater.

Stay curious — because the best way to honour the price others paid is to help the rest of us never pay it again.

Disclaimer

This episode is crafted with the support of advanced AI tools to ensure clarity, smooth delivery, and an engaging listening experience. All information is drawn from credible, publicly available research, and any discussion of potential risks reflects the current understanding of subject-matter experts.

This content is intended for educational and informational use only. It does not provide legal, financial, or policy advice, nor does it express political opinions or seek to influence any election. Listeners are encouraged to explore the referenced sources for further detail.

Sources

1. UC Berkeley / Google Research — Monsoon alerts https://ls.berkeley.edu/news/ai-revolutionizes-weather-prediction-help-farmers-india
2. Legal Dive — Lawyers sanctioned for ChatGPT hallucinations https://www.legaldive.com/news/chatgpt-fake-legal-cases-generative-ai-hallucinations/651557/
3. USA Today — Florida teen Sewell Setzer III tragedy https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/23/sewell-setzer-iii/75814524007/
4. PMC — AI & loneliness in older adults https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10412345/
5. Reuters — Amazon biased hiring tool https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-jobs-automation-insight/amazon-scraps-secret-ai-recruiting-tool-that-showed-bias-against-women-idUSKCN1MK08G
6. WalesOnline — Aggressive seagulls vs Royal Mail robots https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/aggressive-seagulls-could-stop-royal-14788693
7. Storytime AI official site https://storytimeaiapp.com/
8. AIMultiple Research — Generative AI in fashion https://research.aimultiple.com/generative-ai-fashion/
9. Galileo FT — AI Fraud Detection in Latin America https://www.galileo-ft.com/blog/ai-fraud-detection-latin-america-best-practices/
10. AIMultiple Research — Generative AI in fashion: limitations & physics engines https://research.aimultiple.com/generative-ai-fashion/
11. AI-Powered Co-pilot Offers New Autonomy for People with Paralysis https://medicine.illinois.edu/news/ai-powered-co-pilot-offers-new-autonomy-for-people-with-paralysis