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Sign Up For My New AI Newsletter

I'm launching a new newsletter - with a twist.  The newsletter will be fully automated and produced by an AI we are training to pick out the articles to highlight and share.

 

Don't Let the Past Get In the Way of the New.

Even though a lot of what I think and write about is innovation, exponential technologies, and automation ... until now, what we write and send has been the result of human effort rather than artificial intelligence or technology. 

Sure, portions of the process leverage technology ... but humans have written the vast majority of what you read here. 

It takes many hours a week.  Frankly, many more hours than you would guess!  

Still, I enjoy working on the Weekly Commentary and the list of links that I share.  It is a labor of love (or OCD?) that I have been producing for about twenty years!

If you aren't a subscriber yet, please click here to get it!

We currently send out two weekly e-mails.  The one that comes out on Fridays is a hand-curated list of links that I found interesting during the week.  The Sunday edition has two articles written by me and my son, Zach, along with a few more links. 

Deep down, I know that AI is now good enough to curate a high-quality list of articles in a more efficient, effective, and certain way than what I produce.

So, we are about a week away from launching this.

 

 

This is my John Henry Versus The Machine.

And I'll tell you what – I'm worried.

The new AI-generated newsletter is really good. 

 

Why Play a Losing Game? 

I know that I will lose ... But I also know that I will win.  And so will you!

This does not have to be an "either-or" decision.  This is a "both-and" decision.  Meaning ... I don't have to decide whether to stop producing by hand, in order to also produce with AI.

One of the challenges with AI is that the fitness function you choose significantly impacts the result you achieve.

If the purpose of the newsletter was only to produce a quality newsletter in less time, with less effort, and with greater certainty that readers engage ... then the result is inevitable.  The AI newsletter wins.

However, I didn't choose to produce the newsletter for the newsletter.  The newsletter is a natural result of my nature. I did the research because I wanted to do the research.

I am naturally curious and passionate about these things.  It's what I think about.  It's who I am ... and what I do.

The Weekly Commentary and Link List are strategic byproducts of something that I'm going to choose to do anyway,

 

AI Won't Replace the Real Magic.

One of my beliefs about AI is that you shouldn't use it to replace your Unique Ability.  In other words, don't try to automate, delegate,  or outsource something you are great at, if it gives you energy.  The goal is to magnify "magic," not replace it.  The goal is to spotlight and support those areas by taking away things that are frustrating, bothersome, distracting, or taking cycles away from something that would produce a greater result with less energy.

The point is, I can do both.  I will still do research because it gives me pleasure, knowledge, and a greater likelihood of continuing to learn and grow. I will continue to write and curate. 

Why?  Because it's also an important part of my thinking process.  I think when I speak.  I think when I write.  But more importantly, I think when I am preparing to speak or write.  I wouldn't be me if I didn't go through that process.  I also don't believe my ideas or opinions would continue evolving without the challenge and effort.

And I will also enjoy evolving new and different channels of communication.

Hopefully, we all benefit.

So, I hope you sign up for the new newsletter. We'll be sending out the first e-mail within the next week or two. 

As I've said, I love writing and researching.  I'm an innovator at heart. 

Many read my articles because of my commitment to AI, new technologies, and the future.  Most of my exploration has been centered on Capitalogix and our Amplified Intelligence Platform.  But there are a lot of exciting new use cases of AI, and I'm exploring many of those apps right now. 

For example, as you could have guessed, one such use that I'm excited about is AI-curated newsletters.  Many people I trust and respect have started using Daily.AI, including Peter Diamandis, Dan Sullivan, Joe Polish, and Chris Voss. It's clearly a successful modality. 

 

A Thousand Mile Journey Starts With a Single Step.

Hopefully, you are excited about the new newsletter and the value you will get from it.

I'm confident it will only improve – because it learns from what you value. 

To start, the newsletter will focus on these three topic areas: 

1. How to build a resilient business in a fast-changing world
2. The Psychology of technology & technology addiction
3. Business ethics and AI ethics in today's world. 

But that is just the starting point.  It is set up to consider the same type of offshoots as I normally would.  So, it will remain diverse and educational. 

Please sign up and let me know what you think about it.   

Humanizing The Exceptional

How automated is too automated? 

“To speak to a representative, say … representative …. “ 

“Representative.” 

“Sorry I didn’t catch that … would you like for me to repeat the options menu?” 

“NO” 

“Sorry I didn’t catch that … please state wh…” 

“REPRESENTATIVE” 

“Sorry, all of our representatives are busy helping others at the moment ... Goodbye.” 

*CALL ENDS* 

 

How many of us have been in this scenario when on the phone with an airline, insurance company, or any other automated call center?

Where are the people?  Why can’t I speak to a human?  

 

One of my son’s few memories of my Dad involved listening to him going through a scenario like this with a late 1990s version of an auto-attendant.  It was funny.  My Dad became increasingly incensed that he couldn’t get to an actual human being.  It devolved into: “Shut up!  Stop talking!  I’ll give you $50 if you let me talk with a real person.” And it went downhill from there.

The reality is that despite these systems being frustrating, they save companies time, money, and resources.  And, in an ideal world, they streamline callers into organized categories, making for a more efficient experience.  They’re clearly working on some level because you’re seeing increased adoption of A.I. chatbots and digital support systems. 

For what it’s worth, I predict that AI-enabled chatbots are about to be huge!  The evolution of this technology is going to take the place of people in marketing, sales, consulting, coaching, and even therapy.

But does the efficiency or effectiveness it creates justify the lack of human connection?  Why did so many of the legacy call systems get rated so poorly?

I came across an article highlighting a trendy new restaurant in Venice, Italy.  They serve the best dishes from several popular restaurants from across the city!  They must have a massive kitchen and extensive staff to take on such a task, right?  Wrong.  This restaurant is fully automated; you order and receive food via … vending machines. 

My first reaction was this … the convenience is fantastic, but you lose so much of the community and human interaction that you enjoy when going to a traditional restaurant.  As I continued to read, however, the article explained that in order to “humanize” the restaurant, it is used as a meeting place for food tastings, community gatherings, and question-and-answer sessions. 

Humanity and automation merged beautifully.   

Semi-Automated Often Beats Fully Automated  

Systemize the predictable so you can humanize the exceptional

— Isadore Sharp, Four Seasons

Earlier, I mentioned automated call centers, and how frustrating they can be.  I’ve come in contact with several who have found a great balance in how they automate their system.  

Often, the automated answers allow calls to be organized before reaching their intended destination or to answer frequently asked questions.  Either way, it reduces the need to transfer calls to find the correct department or gets the caller the information they need without tying up phone lines and wasting their and the receptionists’ time with basic questions.  

“There’s a lot of automation that can happen that isn’t a replacement of humans, but of mind-numbing behavior.”

— Stewart Butterfield

This quote highlights the point of automation!  Expedite the menial tasks, which in turn frees up the people working to provide a far more attentive experience.   

 

Humans tend to look for ways to increase efficiency in all aspects of their world.  But we are social creatures, craving meaningful connection and community.  Therefore, the human element will not only persist but remain vital.

Social Media Is Changing Everything ... 10+ Years Later

In 2009, I wrote an article highlighting the audacious amount of texts and data my then-16-year-old son was using compared to the rest of the family ... It's funny to look back on.

Here is an excerpt from that post. 

_______

My son won't use e-mail the way I did. So how will people communicate and collaborate in the next wave of communications?

 Here is a peek into the difference that is taking hold.  I was looking at recent phone use.  The numbers you are about to see are from the first 20 days of our current billing cycle.

• My wife, Jennifer, has used 21 text messages and 38 MB of data.
• I have used 120 text messages and 29 MB of data.
• My son, at college, used 420 text messages, and is on a WiFi campus so doesn't use 3G data.
• My son, in high school, used 5,798 text messages and 472 MB of data.

How can that be?  That level of emotional sluttiness makes porn seem downright wholesome. 

But, of course, that isn't how he sees it.  He is holding many conversations at once.  Some are social; some are about the logistics of who, what, when, where and why … some are even about homework.  Yet, most don't use full sentences, let alone paragraphs.  There is near instant gratification.  And, the next generation of business people will consider this normal.

Is social media a fad? Or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution?

_______

Fourteen years later, I send more text messages than my son, and we both use multiples of that amount of data a month. 

I also remember scoffing at my son having his phone on hand at meetings - that it was a distraction. And yet, here I am, phone on my desk at meetings. But, e-mail is just as important as it was in 2009. 

One of the things we miss in discussions about generations is that the trends of the younger generation are often adopted by the previous - even if they're not as tech literate. 

Technology changes cultures for better or worse ... but it's hard to look at the impact of social media and believe it hasn't been deleterious. 

The promise and peril of technology! 

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Are you ready for some Football?

Yesterday was the Cowboys' first preseason game. 

It wasn't exactly the prettiest (partly because it was the first game of the season, but also because many of the starters sat the game out to avoid injury).  With that said, it was still a fantastic experience.  The NFL (and Jerry Jones) knows how to put on a show. 

 

It's Easy to Feel Good at the Start of a Season.

Lots of people ask me how the Cowboys look this year.  The truth is, at this point in the season, it's impossible to know because injuries have a dramatic impact on the game.  

Regardless, each year I choose to be optimistic about the chance of a post-season run. 

That kind of logic (or lack there of) is why I think automated trading is better than humans attempting to do it themselves.  It's a way to make objective decisions and eliminate fear, greed, and discretionary mistakes.

On the other hand, it feels so good to hope!

A Lesson From the Game.

I had an interesting discussion at the game yesterday.  My guest commented that Jerry Jones is a fantastic business person - which is hard to argue - but probably shouldn't be running the team.  He believes the team needs a change of pace to switch things up. 

While I don't know if that's why we tend to struggle so much more late in the season, it reminded me of a great business lesson. 

Entrepreneurs often mistake their domain expertise for general expertise.  "I'm fantastic because I'm fantastic at all these different things." And the result is they overestimate their ability to be great at things outside their unique ability.  A similar issue is that many people believe they are deep thinkers, because they think deeply about what they think about.  However, they often don't realize how narrow their range of thinking is, and how many things fall outside their expertise, interest, or even consideration.

Less Is Often More.

Learning to offload tasks that you may not be as fantastic at as others is a great way to free up time to focus on not only the things that you're great at – but also bring you joy and energy. 

Hope that helps!

How 'bout them Cowboys!

E.M.I.G.L.I.O: The Electronic Mechanical Industrial Generated For Logical Infiltration and Observation Robot

I have an old toy robot in my office that my kids played with when they were little.  Its name is E.M.I.G.L.I.O.

Even though it is a toy, this Italian-made robot was interesting technology when it came out.  It was remote-controlled, the remote had a microphone that transformed my voice to sound like a robot, and it had a tray sturdy enough to deliver a video game (or some other surprise) for my kids when they visited the office.

 

Looking back, it's barely even technology, let alone a robot.  But that's because I'm evaluating it based on what's possible now.

I feel the same when I think about my previous company, IntellAgent Control, and what we considered A.I. in the 1990s.  We made a sales automation solution for teams before tools like Salesforce existed.  At the time, the decision logic we used was innovative.  The premise is still valid today, but the technology and implementation scream "relic of a time gone by."

As another aside ... when I searched for Emiglio (in order to write this article), I was astonished by the archive of old robots someone had put together. The site is like a specialized Wikipedia site for toy robots.  Each of the entries has high-quality photos of the robots and their packaging.  It also includes facts, marketing copy, ads, and patents. 

It is kind of cool ... Kind of like Emiglio.

It got me thinking about how much of history - and esoteric knowledge - only exists because a tiny community of people decided it needed to be cataloged or preserved.

Garbage In – Garbage Out.  Nothing In – Nothing Out.  What are we missing from the past because history is often written by the winner (or because no one volunteered to chronicle what happened)?

Even a site like Wikipedia has some serious content curation issues.  For example, the top 50 Wikipedia editors have each contributed more than 500,000 edits.  Think how much is missing.

Soon A.I. will decide what to write about what it decided happened, what to save and for how long, and what to say when asked about it.

Not only will the future be different ... even the past will be remembered differently.

Just a thought! 

Time Flies - Another Year, Another Lesson

Thursday was my 60th birthday.  I can't believe how time flies.  Birthdays seem to come more quickly as you get older.

It makes sense, though, I suppose.  When you were four, a birthday represented a quarter of your life.  Now, a year represents a much smaller percentage.

While it's not always pleasant getting older, it sure beats the alternative!

This year, I made a concerted effort to be more healthy, fit, and vital in mind, body, and spirit. I said I wanted to sprint into 60, rather than roll into it.

If you are going to live longer, your future has to be compelling to you.  Otherwise, who would want to extend their stay?  That is why I strive to keep my future bigger than my past.  

As time marches on, I become increasingly grateful for the friends and family who share the journey with me.  This year, I spent my birthday in San Diego, surrounded by family and some close friends.  On Saturday, they surprised me with a "Birthday Palooza," celebrating my 60th along with my wife Jennifer's 50th. 

 

 

When I was a kid, I couldn't imagine being where I am today ... nor could I imagine the path that got me here. 

Looking back, it all seems to make sense (even though it felt pretty random while making my way through it).

I feel lucky to have been in the right place at the right time, so consistently, and to find the gift in most situations (even when it seemed so well hidden).

I'm grateful for a lot today, and as much as I love innovation, sometimes things are perfect just the way they are. 

Hopefully, you took time this weekend to let someone know they're important to you.  If not, now is a good time for that too.

Onwards!

Do You Think the U.S. Has Aliens?

I'll admit to being fascinated by the idea of aliens.  Growing up in the 60s and 70s, there was no shortage of science fiction fantasies imagining what a space-faring civilization would look like and, more importantly, what would we, the Earthlings, do when they made contact. 

Last year, there was a U.S. congressional hearing on Unidentified Flying Objects.  While there wasn't any proof of aliens, they did admit to phenomena they couldn't explain with their current information.

Now, we have multiple former military officials testifying in a House of Representatives meeting that the U.S. has recovered not only spacecraft but alien biological matter for decades.  While I do believe in the possibility of aliens, I remain skeptical.

There are many stories (or theories) about how we had encountered aliens before and just kept them secret.  For example, in 2020, a former senior Israeli military official proclaimed that Aliens from a Galactic Federation had contacted us - and that not only is our government aware of this, but they are working together. 

In contrast, I have found it more realistic and thought-provoking to consider theories about why we haven't seen aliens until now.

For example, the Fermi Paradox considers the apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence for extraterrestrial civilizations and the various high probability estimates for their existence. 

Let's simplify the issues and arguments in the Fermi Paradox.  There are billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy (which is only one of many galaxies).  Each of these stars is similar to our Sun.  Consequently, there must be some probability of some of them having Earth-like planets.  Further, it isn't hard to conceive that some of those planets should be older than ours, and thus some fraction should be more technologically advanced than ours.  Even if you assume they're only looking at evolutions of our current technologies - interstellar travel isn't absurd.  Thus, based on the law of really large numbers (both in terms of the number of planets and the length of time we are talking about) ... it makes the silence all the more deafening and curious. 

If you are interested in the topic "Where are all the aliens?"  Stephen Webb (who is a particle physicist) tackles that in his book and in this TED Talk.   

 

via TED

In the TED talk, Stephen Webb covers a couple of key factors necessary for communicative space-faring life. 

1. Habitability and stability of their planet
2. Building blocks of life 
3. Technological advancement
4. Socialness/Communication technologies

But he also acknowledges the numerous confounding variables, including things like imperialism, war, bioterrorism, fear, moons' effect on climate, etc. 

Essentially, his thesis is that there are numerous roadblocks to intelligent life - and it's entirely possible we are the only planet that has gotten past those roadblocks - or that there might have been others in the past, or others may develop in the distant future. 

What do you think?

Here's another article I wrote on the subject, titled "Are We Alone In The Universe?"

Finally, here are some other links I liked on this topic.  There is some interesting stuff you don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand or enjoy. 

• 75 Reasons We Don't See Aliens 
• Wait But Why: The Fermi Paradox
• A New Theory on Why We Haven't Found Aliens Yet
• A List of Solutions to The Fermi Paradox
• Dissolving the Fermi Paradox, Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford University

To Infinity and Beyond!

Life After Death ... Will A.I. Help you Live Forever?

My Aunt recently passed away. She was my Dad's sister ... and she was a fantastic person. She was loving and kind. She was a natural-born caregiver, And she was as sharp as a tack. What wouldn't we give for another moment with her? My response to her death reminded me of my feelings when my Dad passed away. 

This time, the conversation was a little different. People asked me if I thought that A.I. would enable us to live on after our bodies started to give out on us. I recorded some of my thoughts. 

 

I don't think A.I. will give us life after death.

I do believe technology will get good enough to create a replica of you - that talks like you, responds like you, and even comforts people who miss you. 

I don't believe technology can capture whatever part of us doesn't live in our bodies. Whether you call it our soul (or something else), I don't think that will ever get uploaded to the matrix, so you live on. 

And, I think that's okay. Part of the beauty of existence is the transience, the joy, the suffering, and the range of human experience. That is a big part of what we call life.

When my Dad was dying, every moment took on new meaning. Not only did time seem to slow down, but there was a weight and intimacy that's often taken for granted. 

What do you think?

The Surreal World of Deepfakes And Deep AI

Deep Learning excels in analyzing pictures & videos and creating facsimiles or combining styles.  People are using generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Midjourney increasingly frequently.  And there is an explosion of simple tools (like the Deep Dream Generator or DeepAI) that use Convolutional Neural Networks to combine your photo with an art style (if you want to do it on your phone, check out Prisma).   Here are some example photos.

via SubSubRoutine

The same foundation that allows us to create these cool art amalgamations also can create deepfakes.  A Deepfake is precisely what it sounds like ... they use "Deep Learning" to "Fake" a recording.  For example, a machine learning technique called a Generative Adversarial Network can be used to superimpose images onto a source video.  That is how they made this fun (and disturbing) Deepfake of Jennifer Lawrence and Steve Buscemi.

 

Another interesting technology can create AI-powered replicas of someone that don't just look and sound like them – they can respond like them too.  Examples of this are seen in tools like Replica Studios or Replika.  One of the artistic uses people have been exploring recently is getting unlikely characters to sing famous songs.  These chatbots have also been used by lonely men and women to create virtual paramours. 

The three basic uses of deep learning (described above) are being combined to create a lot of real mainstream applications ... and the potential to create convincing fakes.

Deepfakes can be fun and funny ... but they also create real concerns.  They're frequently used for more "nefarious" purposes (e.g., to create fake celebrity or revenge porn and to make important figures say things they never said).  You've likely seen videos of Trump or Biden created with this technology.   But it is easy to imagine someone faking evidence used at trial, trying to influence business transactions, or using this to support or slander causes in the media.

As fakes get better and easier to produce, they will likely be used more often. 

On a more functional note, you can use these technologies to create convincing replicas of yourself.  You could use that replica to record videos, send voicemails, or participate in virtual meetings for you. While I don't encourage you to use it without telling people you are, even just using the technology puts you a step ahead. 

Here Are Some Links For Your Weekly Reading - July 9th, 2023

Here are some of the posts that caught my eye recently. Hope you find something interesting.

Lighter Links:

• France Set to Allow Police to Spy Through Phones. (Lemonde)
• Your Most Ambivalent Relationships are the Most Toxic. (NYT)
• Is Positive Psychology Science or Snake Oil? (PsychologyToday)
• Einstein and Musk Chatbots Are Driving Millions to Download Character.AI. (Bloomberg)
• New Report Warns of Brain Control Weapons Being Developed by Communist China. (DailyWire)

Trading Links:

• The Copyright Battles Against OpenAI Have Begun. (Quartz)
• Baby Boomers Own Pretty Much Everything - But Millennials Could Be About to Catch Up. (Markets)
• Forbes World's Billionaires List 2023: The Top 200. (Forbes)
• Wall Street Soothsayers Are Bewildered About What's Next. (Bloomberg)
• SVB, BBBY, Lordstown Lead List of US Bankruptcies as Companies Fold up at the Fastest Pace Since 2010. (Markets)