Alternate Futures

Author: Alternate Futures

Fun, interesting, unusual, and always thought-provoking, The Alternate Futures podcast features interviews with indie science fiction creators where we discuss their work, the world, and anything in-between.
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Language: en

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction

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77. Machine Intelligence, Empathy, and Ethics with Greg Woolford
Episode 77
Monday, 22 December, 2025

Cybersecurity by day, author by night, Greg Woolford explores the intersection of technology and philosophy in his debut novel, The Maker's Heir, where an AI's path leads from quiet companionship to existential questions. In this episode, we discuss the ethical responsibilities of creating a self-aware entity, the intersection of AI and human emotion, and how AI may redefine our societal roles. We also ask whether machines may ever reach a state of personhood and whether the concept of a soul could apply to a machine.Books of his we discuss: The Maker's HeirFurther info on this and other episodes can be found at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlternateFutures.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're on Wordpress.com, you can follow the podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠alternatefuturespodcast.wordpress.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Finally, you can also find the podcast, and follow my articles on science fiction, socio-technological issues, and futurism at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠alternatefutures.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠