Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves? Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthroughs that have propelled machine learning from simple perceptrons to the sophisticated algorithms shaping today’s AI revolution, powering GPT and other models. The discussion aims to demystify some of the underlying mathematical concepts that power modern machine learning, to help everyone grasp this technology impacting our lives–even if your last math class was in high school. Anil walks us through the power of scaling laws, the shift from training to inference optimization, and the debate among AI’s pioneers about the road to AGI—should we be concerned, or are we still missing key pieces of the puzzle? The conversation also delves into AI’s philosophical implications—could understanding how machines learn help us better understand ourselves? And what challenges remain before AI systems can truly operate with agency? If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for exclusive insights and updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits. Links: Read Why Machines Learn, Anil’s latest book on the math behind AI https://www.amazon.com/Why-Machines-Learn-Elegant-Behind/dp/0593185749 Learn more about Anil Ananthaswamy’s work and writing https://anilananthaswamy.com/ Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s TED Talk on AI and intelligence https://www.ted.com/speakers/anil_ananthaswamy Discover the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship that shaped Anil’s AI research https://ksj.mit.edu/ Understand the Perceptron, the foundation of neural networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptron Read about the Perceptron Convergence Theorem and its significance https://www.nature.com/articles/323533a0…
In this episode, Dr. Sophia dives into some of the most common questions she’s asked as a therapist and sex addiction specialist. Whether it’s at a dinner party or during a consultation, people often wonder: What is sex addiction? How does sex therapy differ from regular therapy? Do I need a therapist or a coach? Drawing from her professional expertise and personal recovery journey through Al-Anon, CoDA, SAA, and ACA, Dr. Sophia shares candid insights about the misconceptions, challenges, and transformative potential of therapy. She also discusses her own experiences as both a therapist and a therapy client, emphasizing the value of self-awareness and doing the deep, root-cause work to foster growth and healing. Tune in to gain clarity on these important topics and explore how therapy can be a powerful tool for navigating relationships, intimacy, and personal recovery.…
In this episode of the Queen City Healthy Sex Podcast, Dr. Sophia, a seasoned psychotherapist with 25 years of experience, reintroduces herself and discusses her new practice in Charlotte as part of the Queen City Podcast Network. Dr. Sophia delves into sex therapy, sex addiction, love addiction, codependency, trauma, and the crucial role of intimacy and connection in relationships. She emphasizes the impact of early childhood attachment issues on adult relationships and the importance of deep-rooted therapy for individual and couples' healing. The episode highlights the distinctions between sex therapy and sex addiction therapy, the value of personal work for attracting healthier relationships, and responsible sexual health.…
In this episode, Dr. Sophia sits down with Alex LeBrec host of The Charlotte Dating Podcast , for a candid conversation about dating trends, relationship dynamics, and navigating the dating world in Charlotte. Alex shares her journey of launching a dating podcast focused on intentional dating and how her personal experiences inspired the show. From dating apps to real-life encounters, Dr. Sophia and Alex dive into the ups and downs of modern dating, addressing topics like dating burnout, intentional connection, and overcoming rejection. Join them as they explore how dating can be fun yet meaningful, the importance of finding the right match, and why rejection isn't a reflection of your worth. Whether you're single, in a relationship, or navigating the dating scene, this episode offers insights and encouragement for building healthy, intentional relationships.…
Our clients who struggle with addiction or infidelity or are in a relationship with someone who struggles often wrestle with the concept of forgiveness. The concept is a lot more complicated than most people talk about. In this podcast, Marcus Walton and Celynd Malone explore the concept, ways that forgiveness can be oversimplified, forced, misunderstood, even weaponized. We do our own wrestling to understand our values and experiences, and wonder aloud at ways we can view forgiveness in all its complexity.…
Marcus and Celynd wrap up their series on Purity Culture by talking about how it impacts our understanding of healthy relationships. They also discuss what they think makes for a healthy relationship.
For those of a certain age raised in evangelical Christian circles, the expectation of abstinence from sex, modesty, and strict gender roles is all too familiar. This is a conversation around purity culture and its effects on those of us who lived it.
Celynd and Tempe are both associates at Bull City Psychotherapy. They discuss platonic intimacy, how to build it, and barriers to it, in this episode of Sex and the Bull City.