Playing with curiosity, dance, puzzles and tech.
Like being in a cafe with ideas in Greek, German, Dutch, Chinese & AI.
Conceptually speaking: Two profound ideas.
Friday Find: somebody that you used to know?
Gamestop: Escher and a legendary monkey king.
Look Left, Look Right: Assessing the AI race, with a podcast recco.
With: Teenage badminton, AI trailers and Queen Bey’s whisky.
1. Conceptually speaking.
I came across two concepts in the last 10 days, that I found charming, inspiring and reminders of good things.
A Whisper of Joy.
I find the kind of linguistic borrowing that brings entire concepts into English with single words, quite lovely. Think ‘deja vu’ and ‘karma’, as opposed to merely ‘chutney’ or ‘croissant’ or ‘pyjama’. [Aside: Is it me or has this conceptual importing happened more in the last decade or so? Or, just like so much else, is it just that we see it disproportionately more, because of the world wide web?]
The one that prompted this is the concept of Freudenfreude. If you think that sounds like the German ‘Schadenfreude’ (which, of course, means ‘joy at others' misfortune’), that is because its meant to. It means exactly the opposite of that idea, i.e. ‘joy at the happiness of another person, even if we don't share that same happiness ourselves’. The best part- its entirely made up! Less than two years ago, a psychologist used it in a piece for the New York Times; it was warmly received as yet another German concept enriching our language and our worldview, before they began to realise it was not really a German word after all.
But, its such a great term, no? It has a bit of empathy, a bit of love for the universe, a bit of believing in joy for joy’s sake… and a lot of something good we could all do with.
What sparks such joy in you, unbidden? I won’t think too much here, but I can definitely think of one- when a child laughs in joy; the purity invariably makes me happy.
A Question of Wonder.
When was the last time you were amazed, or full of wonder, curious to know more? I’ve just learnt there is a term for it. This is the idea of thauma, an ancient Greek concept that means ‘wonder’ or ‘awe’. Its the deep sense of curiosity and amazement that drives one's desire to understand the world.
The likes of Aristotle & Plato considered it the spark that ignites philosophical inquiry and exploration. Its the kind of thing that makes me pleasantly thoughtful, knowing that we could always do with a bit (or a lot) of thauma in our lives.
I stumbled upon it via Jonny Thomson’s philosophy minis, which I often enjoy. He finishes with a question (as all good creator content should, some might say?), “Everybody has some kind of thauma. What’s yours?”.
~
· Freudenfreude’s little story · Thauma’s philosophy mini ·
2. Friday Find: Dance.
This mesmerising piece from earlier in the year takes Gotye (and Kimbra)’s 2011 hit breakup song “Somebody that I Used To Know”, and douses it with brilliance in choreography, costume, art, hair, filming, editing and delightful attention to detail. It all comes together with the whimsy, the oddity, the bursts of energy and even melancholy that, for me, also define the song.
As one Youtube commenter said, this is a reminder of the amazing access to creativity and entertainment we now have at our fingertips- "THOUSANDS of collective hours of dance practice and creative editing only requires a free click and four minutes".
It came back into my radar because this troupe- CDK, helmed by Sergio Res - just did the new GAP commercial with Troy Sivan.
3. Gamespot
Two quick hits on video games!
ONE.
My favourite mobile game from the last decade or so is back. Its Escher-like illusions and meditative puzzles, coupled with an immersive, even soothing score (headphones recommended!), make Monument Valley the rare game where you can be riveted without feeling zombified.
Now, this gorgeously odd classic finally has a Part 3. Except this time, it will be part of the Netflix Games offering. (How many of you realise that your Netflix subscription comes with plenty of games baked-in?). I recommend this absorbing, almost meditative game whether or not you consider yourself a gamer of any sort. Plus, if you don’t want to plonk one fancy-macchiato’s equivalent of dollars to get it, the first Monument Valley will also hit Netflix Games on September 19 (and automatically be available to subscribers). Of course, if you are not a Netflixer, this can be frustrating, and that is the one dissonant note amongst initially joyous fan reactions.
TWO.
Have you heard about Black Myth: Wukong? If not, its likely because you have no gaming in your real or virtual social circle- because its been hard to ignore. Inspired by ‘Journey to the West’- one of the four great classical novels in Chinese literature- this is the first major blockbuster Chinese game (an AAA game, as they’re called). Its had $53m in presales, 4.5 million copies sold within 24 hours of release, in which time it also broke records on Steam, then it reached 10m copies in 3 days. The fact that this is a Chinese story finding resonance globally, makes it stand apart from just another gaming hit, with many voices welcoming the cultural diversity.
· A piece from the The Conversation about the significance of this game in the wider gaming world, including on Chinese soft power.
· The lowdown on Netflix’s game offerings, spanning both Netflix show inspired as well independent games, here.
4. Look Left, Look Right.
AI is careening ahead at breakneck speed, and we're pouring billions into making these systems smarter, faster, and more capable. If it sounds like a race, that’s because it is. Like much in technology it has become about being first past the post, then identifying the next post to rush past. While we’re busy marvelling at the shiny new tools and possibilities, the question to be asked is- are we forgetting to look both ways before crossing the street?
Your Undivided Attention is a fine podcast, where co-hosts Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin explore “the unprecedented power of emerging technologies: how they fit into our lives, and how they fit into a humane future.” They are the founders of the Center for Humane Technology (CHT), that has been on a “mission is to align technology with humanity’s best interests.” You might have bumped into some of their work in the Emmy Award winning documentary The Social Dilemma that shook up a lot of a conversation when it came out in 2020. Its also where I completed the Foundations of Humane Technology course, an eye opener irrespective of what field you work/live in.
Coming back to the AI race. CHT looks to understand root causes of harmful tech in search of a more humane future, so they are best placed to see the parallels here.
We saw (it) with social media where the competitive forces driving for the race to get attention, the race to get engagement, drove the race to the bottom of the brain stem. That then sort of inverted our world inside out into the addicted, distracted, polarised society that we have now. With AI, it's not a race for attention. It's a race to roll out. A race to take shortcuts to get AI into the world as fast as possible and onboard as many people as possible.
You only have one period before a new technology gets entangled, and that's right now.
The stage of the race we are at is why now is the important period- to be able to look at where we are and where want to be with AI, rather than the classic “what if” of hindsight, some years down the line.
And if we need some perspective to shake things up, here’s some.
Stuart Russel is a computer scientist, founder of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence, and author of a book used in Universities in 134 countries, and on the TIME list of 100 most influential people in AI last year. So, he who knows a thing or two. Stuart reckons there is currently at least 1,000:1, likely closer to a 2,000:1 gap in the amount of money that's going into increasing the power of AI, versus going into increasing the safety and security of AI. Again- for every nearly $2000 we're spending on beefing up AI, we're allocating a whopping $1 on safety and security. That's not a typo. One dollar. As a smart woman (and friend) said, “it’s like souping up a race car engine while skimping on the brakes”.
A reference point- for every one kilogram going into a nuclear reactor, there's seven kilograms of paperwork to make it safe. These experts suggest allocating 15-25% of AI investment towards governance and safety measures. While I won’t hold my breath on that happening, I can hope.
Another striking metaphor- comparing our AI development to building a Jenga tower. We're adding impressive new blocks to the top, reaching dizzying heights, but are we inadvertently pulling out crucial pieces from the foundation? Its a question worth pondering every week; its the small matter of the stability of our societal structure is at stake.
Half & half.
If we only talk about the good thing, then we are ill-equipped to actually handle the downsides, which means we're much more likely to have the downsides smack us in the face.
There's a tendency to focus solely on the positive potential of AI. Tristan has coined the term "half-lighting"- celebrating the spectacular developments, but ignoring the potential pitfalls. I like it, even if sounds a bit more like a photography technique than a societal pitfall! That’s why I like my newsletters, Linkedin feed, podcasts and social bursts having a bit of both- marvel at the amazing stuff, but with a sprinkling of healthy scepticism.
So, have a listen to the conversation that promoted this post, on their podcast where its swapped and they are the interviewees, not the hosts. There are many good ones out there, but this is short enough, smart enough, positive enough and real enough.
“Are we incentivising AI to systemically roll out in a way that's strengthening societies? That's the question.”
· The Social Dilemma · Foundations of Humane Technology course · The Podcast ·
5. Peanut Masala
(where I share stories & tidbits I find interesting)
Smile. Hong Kong's Education Bureau has suggested that teenagers who wanted to have sex with each other could "go out to play badminton together" instead. Ok, then. A local lawmaker raised the most relevant practical point, criticising the suggestion as unrealistic. "How could they borrow a badminton racket on the spot if it happens?". Clearly, that is the biggest hurdle.
Read. Mike Gioia is an AI architect spends a lot of time in the (American) film industry. In his piece ‘No more AI movie trailers, please’, he observes that “(AI video) routinely astonishes and disproves even the biggest skeptics. But it fails to entertain normal viewers”, going on to share some interesting alternatives to the deluge of AI generated ‘movie trailers’ we have been seeing.
Drink. Beyonce launches a whisky. “Whisky has been Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s drink of choice for years, attracted not only by its sophisticated taste, but also by the inherent sense of strength and confidence it inspires.” And so we have SirDavis, apparently ‘the future of whisky’.
PS- I did wonder why an American whiskey was spelt without the ‘e’. It would appear it is because- “At SirDavis, we’re not always conventional when it comes to whisky “norms”. SirDavis Whisky’s spelling reflects the stylistic influence of Japanese and Scottish whiskies on the making of SirDavis, and Japanese and Scottish whiskies omit the ‘e.’ ”
Off for my wee dram brew!