Sensei Wednesday - July 5, 2023
Your weekly dose of the things I'm watching, reading, listening to, and thinking about, guaranteed to improve your life
We’re halfway through another week. Today is Wednesday July 5, 2023 and here’s your sensory snapshot.
I’m watching: Will AI Change Our Memories? Nerdwriter, YouTube: The Nerdwriter’s unique video essay style has since become ubiquitous on YouTube in recent years, but the production quality of his videos, the diverse topics he chooses on a monthly basis, and the style in which he explores everything from scientific breakthroughs to artistic verse has captivated me for years. His most recent video explores the new breakthroughs in AI technology, particularly as they relate to the new tools that allow the average consumer to doctor, edit, and add elements to a previously taken picture. As always, its a fascinating watch, and I would highly recommend checking out all his videos, not just this one.
I’m listening to: Trampoline, SHAED x ZAYN. The harmonies in this song are a thing of pure beauty. The melting arrangement of notes, their vocal ability and acrobats, and the whistling during the bridge, all contribute to the feeling you’ve fallen deep into something and can’t help but be enraptured by what you see and feel.
I’m Reading: How I Built This, by Guy Raz. Based on the widely successful podcast of the same name, How I Built This is a captivating read by longtime journalist and podcast host Guy Raz who has interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs. He discusses the similarities that most seem to have in common, as well as the diverse threads which make each story unique. Providing both inspiration and practical advice, this book is well worth its modest sticker price.
I’m Using: Pi, your personal AI, by Inflection AI Inc. Pi is a new kind of AI which feels much closer to a virtual assistant from science fiction than a chat bot. As opposed to a product like ChatGPT, Claude, or Bard, Pi is designed to be “supportive, smart and there for you anytime.” I’ve found it to be an effective brainstorming partner by its ability to help me arrive at useful conclusions by validating, mirroring, asking useful questions and providing actionable advice. Inflection, the company behind Pi, raised 1.3 billion on June 23, 2023 in a round of funding led by Reid Hoffman (co-founder of LinkedIn), Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt (who served as the CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011 and the company's executive chairman from 2011 to 2015, as executive chairman of parent company Alphabet Inc. from 2015 to 2017, and Technical Advisor at Alphabet from 2017 to 2020), and NVIDIA. The company was co-founded by Mustafa Suleyman (co-founder and VP of DeepMind, which was acquired by Google in 2014). The collection of technical and executive expertise, the deep pockets, and close collaboration with NVIDIA make Pi a uniquely positioned product which could further revolutionize how we use AI to augment our intellect and super charge our knowledge work.
What I’m thinking about:
Ben Gates : [standing in front of the Declaration of Independence] 180 years of searching, and I'm three feet away. Of all the words written here about freedom, there's a line here that's at the heart of all the others. "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and provide new Guards for their future security."
[pause]
Ben Gates : People don't talk that way anymore.
Riley Poole : Beautiful, huh? I have no idea what you said.
Ben Gates : It means if there's something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.
Have a great rest of your week everyone, and happy Independence Day! Remember to be a little kinder than is necessary.