Longford journalist explores how AI technology is shaping our future in TV documentary

It's one of the most pressing social issues faced by humanity, and a Longford journalist will highlight how technology is shaping our future.

A new documentary to be screened by RTE gives Anne-Marie Tomchak a platform to examine how AI’s increasing power and influence impacts on our lives.

'Game Changer: AI and You', made in partnership with Science Foundation Ireland and Science Week, sees the journalist explore the astonishingly accelerating pace of the technology.

In this documentary, Anne-Marie will take a look at how artificial intelligence is transforming the human experience.

In her journalistic career Anne-Marie has written about politics, digital culture and technology and counts fashion and sustainability among her areas of expertise. She's also an entrepreneur and has utilised her wealth of experience to support charity Pieta.

Anne-Marie is the niece of Longford country-music legend Declan Nerney, whom she grew up near in Drumlish, and cousin of Una Healy.

Her father is from the picturesque village, and her mother originally hails from Legan. Despite living in the UK for over a decade Anne-Marie's roots to home are still strong.

Game Changer: AI and You brought the journalist home: “There is a sequence in the documentary where we film in Longford,” she told the Leader, “We tackle the biggest existential threat that you can think of, climate change, in Longford.

“We go to Abbeyshrule airfield, and I fly around the area in a helicopter using LIDAR technology to do data matting with a company called Terrain-AI.”

“They map the topography of the land. This data then helps policy makers make decisions on how to use land. I got to see Longford as I have never seen it before. It is really amazing to see Longford from a bird's eye view,” Anne-Marie said.

Caption: “We go to Abbeyshrule airfield, and I fly around the area in a helicopter using LIDAR technology,” Anne-Marie Tomchak.

Other areas explored in the documentary are; the positive developments in the fields of health and education; and the preponderance of misinformation, with technologies like deep fake muddying the water of what is fact and what is fiction.

Game Changer: AI and You will have leading experts in the area of technology and ordinary people whose lives are being impacted by AI add to the conversation.

The use of the development for positive educational, health and social outcomes will also be delved into.

In the programme Anne-Marie travels to Cornwall to meet Ameca, the world's most advanced human-like robot. Oxford University Professor of Computer Science Micheal Wooldrige will discuss the impact AI will have on the human race.

Anne-Marie says she was intrigued by the scope of the documentary: “AI and suitability are two of the big issues of our time that we need to engage with.

“Both carry similar parallels, there is a lot of doom and gloom, and dystopian narratives built around them because there is a scary element to both of them.”

The documentary maker says it's not a one sided issue: “We also look at a lot of the positives too. In the context of learning people were concerned about calculators when they came out.

“There was a perception it could dilute our ability to do arithmetic, but it actually unlocks a whole new way of doing things. In theory this is what AI can do for us.”

The documentary format is one the journalist is familiar with having fronted a one-off documentary produced for RTÉ, 'Cloud Control – Who Owns Your Data? In 2016.

'Game Changer: AI and You' airs this Thursday, November 16, on RTÉ One at 10:15pm.

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