Our usual podcast guests talk about journeys that they chose to embark on: starting a company, solving a problem, creating opportunities, or navigating life and career.

In our current series, we’re probing into a trip that none of us opted into but we’re all on board anyway…and that is artificial intelligence. AI influences what we see, hear, buy, and think, how we navigate the world, and how we navigate daily life.

We wanted to start the AI series with the basics to help our listeners to understand what it is, where it came from, how it’s used, and the differences between AI, machine learning, and algorithms.

Jason Thomson is Senior Vice President of Innovation for Mintel Group, a global market intelligence and research firm based in London. Mintel are experts in helping brands and businesses understand consumers: who they are, what they see, what they do, what they buy, and why. Jason has led technology at Mintel for the past 25 years. His role at the intersection of technology and consumer insight affords perhaps the ideal perch from which to consider the implications of AI on real people…and that’s exactly why we wanted to speak with him.

In this episode of What I Wish I Knew with Mike Irwin & Simon Daw, Jason covers where AI came from, how it evolved, and the risks and rewards of the technology.