An avatar is depicted in the first episode of The Age of AI.

‘Age of AI’ Aims to Give Viewers Taste of Cutting-Edge AI in Action

Actor Robert Downey Jr., possibly best known for his “Iron Man” films, will take on real technology in the YouTube “Originals” eight-part series “The Age of AI,” on Google’s now free premium Learning channel. The first two episodes are already available; six more will be released in the coming months.

Robert Downey Jr. introduces The Age of AI, filming on the set of his Iron Man soundstage.

Engadget.com reported about the series, which it called “engaging and insightful.” The episodes begin with something Downey Jr. would be comfortable discussing⏤AI in movie special effects. The series debuts with “How Far is Too Far?” Downey interviews Soul Machines CEO Mark Sagar, a special effects artist who worked on films like “King Kong” and “Avatar” to animate faces and create an AI-animated digital avatar for the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am.

The second episode delves into Project Euphonia, a speech assistance tool Google created. The episode features former NFL linebacker Tim Shaw, who has ALS, which makes it difficult to move or speak. A prototype of Euphonia shows how Shaw helped Google record voice samples for the AI to try to interpret his speech. The episode also shows the widespread impact AI is having on healthcare.

According to a story on forbes.com, it’s apropros that Downey Jr. is the host of the show:

“It is said that Downey Jr modeled his portrayal of Stark on Elon Musk, the creator of Tesla and SpaceX, and one of the most outspoken commentators about artificial intelligence. Musk says that by developing advanced AI we are “summoning the demon,” and that we must work hard and fast to ensure it remains safe. In fact he thinks we must develop the technology to link our minds intimately with AI systems so that instead of being replaced by them, we can be enhanced by them.”

Each episode is about 35 minutes long, enough time to give a scant overview of the potential of AI in the areas it covers. Livinglifefearless.com points out that Google promised the series a year ago, and celebrates its release.