Technology| Podcast Column

The man who realized utopia: Sam Altman and the Artificial Intelligence for all

It seemed like a fantasy, but now it is reality: machines that mimic the faculties of the human mind have arrived and are here to stay. Sam Altman has made Artificial Intelligence available to everyone, thanks to OpenAI. His creature, ChatGPT, poses questions to humans, which “Pioneers of the future” will tackle with the help of a neuroscientist and a totally unexpected guest.

A young space leader, from Sicily to Mars: Chiara Cocchiara’s challenge

A brilliant student who overturned all preconceptions and, starting from the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, established herself in the world as a pioneer of space and the emerging space economy: the story, ambitions and projects of Chiara Cocchiara, an award-winning aerospace engineer with a penchant for the red planet

Hedy Lamarr, the fleeing diva who invented Wi-Fi

Hedwig Maria Eva Kiesler, long known only as an actress, decided to help humanity defeat Nazism with her studies in the field of telecommunications. Together with musician George Antheil, she invented a remote communication system for torpedoes, which today is considered as the basic foundation of modern wireless Internet connection technologies

Creating new worlds: Nolan Bushnell, Atari and the invention of video games

A former student of Electronic Engineering, assistant manager at an amusement park, became a serial entrepreneur and founded a revolutionary brand: Atari. Following the Pong’s success, Nolan Bushnell was the perfect conjunction ring of the History, which changed entertainment and lifestyle, developing out of nowhere a billionaire industry, such as video games

The revolution in couple: Mr and Mrs Benz make up the automobile

Scientific ambition, adventure and passion describe the life of Karl e Bertha Benz, spouses who invented the first automobile and the journey by car. A lesson to still be remembered, written at the dawn of a new industry and a new mobility, more than 130 years ago

The story of WhatsApp: from failure to success of an idea

Jan Koum and Brian Acton are WhatsApp’s co-founders, the most used instant messaging app in the world. Remaining faithful to their ideas, at the height of a time shaped by advancements in digital technology, in 2009 they started developing the app that later was acquired by Facebook itself for 19 billion dollars, five years later an interview gone wrong

Kansai, the first airport on “Neverland”

Designed by Renzo Piano, the Kansai airport stands on the third largest artificial island in the world and is considered a monument of 20th century engineering. But increasingly intense geological and climatic phenomena threaten its future

Oyapock: a bridge to connect Europe and South America

There is a land border between France and Brazil: French Guiana. It was made possible by a bridge over the Oyapock River. It took 20 years to complete the project, but it was finally opened to traffic in 2017

The Panama Canal: "The Eighth Wonder of the Modern World"

An engineering challenge overcome after four centuries, the story of the Panama Canal also intersects with the geopolitical history of Central America. A four-week voyage is reduced to a handful of hours

The world’s biggest airport: Beijing Daxing

Built in less than five years, Beijing Daxing is the world's biggest airport and a triumph of new technologies. With its unique starfish shape designed by the study of Zaha Hadid Architects, the airport employs the latest new sustainable solutions

The Trans-Siberian: the longest railway line in the world

This 10-thousand-kilometre-long railway line from Moscow to Vladivostok, was built at the end of the 19th century by more than 90-thousand workers, most of whom were forced labourers. Goods, minerals and raw materials still pass this way today but, most of all; the Trans-Siberian has become a symbol of a journey to the outer reaches of our world

The tunnel that links Britain to Europe

The fascinating story of the Channel Tunnel, the maxi-infrastructure that revolutionised travel and communication, cancelling centuries of conflict and political tension