David Spiegelhalter: Statistics, Communicating in Crises, and Living with Uncertainty

In this episode of the podcast, Nicolai Tangen interviews Sir David Spiegelhalter, a renowned statistician, about risk, uncertainty, and the interpretation of data. They discuss human psychology in relation to risk, the fear of the unknown, and habits for interpreting risk reasonably. Spiegelhalter shares insights on the weaponization of numbers, his work in medical statistics, and the importance of public communication of statistics, particularly during crises like COVID-19. He also touches on the role of social media, the importance of trustworthy communication, and the challenges of predicting elections. The conversation extends to AI, climate risk, and Spiegelhalter's personal experiences with prostate cancer, highlighting the need for resilience and informed decision-making in the face of uncertainty.