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A Science Communicator who demystifies AI with humor and curiosity – Lieve Scheire on Nerdland, and his famous AI shows
62 minutes
In this episode, Davio Larnout, CEO at Superlinear, is joined by the one and only Lieven Scheire—physicist, comedian, and science communicator. They dive into a conversation about curiosity, comedy, and the art of making science accessible. Lieven shares how his background helped him break down complex topics like DNA and AI for broad audiences.
Together, they dive into the rapid evolution of AI, why most people still don’t fully understand what’s really under the hood, and how entertainment can bridge the gap between tech and society. From GPT hallucinations to AI-written punchlines, this episode reveals how passion and pattern recognition shape our understanding of the future.
"Large language models can do amazing things, but you are the supervisor. It’s a very hardworking intern that makes unexpectedly stupid mistakes."
— Lieven Scheire, Science communicator & comedian
Watch the episode
Key takeaways:
1. Combining comedy and science to clarify AI
Lieven shared how his background in physics and stand-up comedy positioned him to explain complex technologies like neural networks and backpropagation in ways that resonate with broad audiences. His approach proves that humor and clarity can go hand-in-hand.
2. The speed of AI adoption
Since ChatGPT’s release, Lieven noted how quickly the public moved from being amazed by AI to taking it for granted. While tools like image generators and large language models continue to move forward, public understanding often lags behind, making clear communication more important than ever.
3. Behind the scenes
Lieven and AI researcher Thomas Winters experimented with using large language models to generate improv-style jokes. Spoiler alert: while human-created humor still beats AI in audience ratings, one of the night’s top-rated jokes came from ChatGPT.
4. Using entertainment to explain technical subjects.
Rather than setting out with an educational mission, Lieven explained that his drive comes from genuine curiosity and passion. His shows work because they entertain first—and inform as a natural result. This passion-driven method creates lasting impact!
5. Seeing AI as a tool, not a threat
From translating his book with GPT-4 to brainstorming jokes, Lieven sees AI as a tireless intern: useful, but always needing supervision. He applies the same mindset with his children, encouraging curiosity and teaching them how to review information critically. Ensuring they grow up empowered, not intimidated, by technology.