^TagSilicon Valley

Fuse burning on black background isolated

^{Type
post

Author
Erik J. Larson
Date
November 22, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, Arts and Culture, Colligo, Mission Impossible, Movies and TV, Silicon Valley, Substack, the entity}

What Mission Impossible Tells Us About AI Mythology

_{If you’re looking for an intelligent take on existential risk and superintelligent AI, the latest Mission Impossible movie is not for you.} _{Erik J. Larson

November 22, 2023

12

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

Tom Cruise — I mean Ethan Hunt — likes to run. He likes to ride motorcycles. He’s always down to speed race cars. He’s all in on leaping out of windows, base jumping, and hand to hand combat. And he always wins the heart of the beautiful girl. You’ll see all this in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part One, the latest in the long-running film series, and the film series’ foray into “existential risk” thinking about superintelligent AI. “The Entity,” as it’s called, is the nemesis that Hunt and other members of the mum’s-the-word spy organization IMF (Impossible Mission Force) must confront, against all odds, as it’s smarter than any human, and learning constantly. The Entity cleverly captures personal information about Hunt’s Read More ›

Aerial cityscape view of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge at Night

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
August 27, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Athens, Faith, god, Jerusalem, Luke Birgis, reason, religion, science, Silicon Valley, soul, Wired}

Silicon Valley is All About Use, Not Truth

_{Of Athens, Jerusalem, and the "third city"} _{Peter Biles

August 27, 2023

3

Technology}

A new article from Wired by Luke Birgis discusses the mentality and culture of Silicon Valley, and puts the technological vision of life up alongside the classic dichotomy between “Athens” and “Jerusalem.” Athens was symbolic of reason, while Jerusalem indicated the spiritual life of the soul. Figuring out a way of connecting (or disconnecting) these two mythic kingdoms has long been the task of philosophers and theologians. Need religion be separated from reason? Are science and faith naturally incompatible? These are worthy questions in their own right. Birgis, however, identifies another burgeoning kingdom that is arguably reducing both Athens and Jerusalem to hypothetical rubble: Silicon Valley. The Valley’s core philosophy is neither reason or beauty, but value, or usefulness. Birgis Read More ›

Smiling entrepreneur businesswoman talking on smartphone with colleague discuss business project, financial report or strategy. Cheerful female sales manager communicating with client on cellphone

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 28, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Austin, COVID-19, Miami, Pandemic, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Walter Meyers III}

The End of Silicon Valley?

_{What will remote work do to Silicon Valley in the longterm?} _{News

June 28, 2023

1

Technology}

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of hybrid work, and allowed many workers to operate remotely. What does this mean for major tech centers like Silicon Valley and Seattle? And what are the advantages for competitors like Austin and Miami? In this lecture, hear a panel discuss these issues and related concerns at the 2021 COSM conference. We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and artificial intelligence. Notable speakers include 2022 Kyoto Prize winner Carver Mead, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and George Gilder, co-founder of Discovery Read More ›

Artificial intelligence, robot thinking about world, looking at the city. Futuristic concept.

^{Type
post

Author
Eric Holloway
Date
June 21, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, AI and creativity, Big Tech, ChatGPT, Eric Holloway, Human creativity, Human exceptionalism, Information Theory, New Information, Shannon entropy, Silicon Valley, Technological singularity}

Can AI Create its Own Information?

_{The simple answer is "no," but why? Eric Holloway explains} _{Eric Holloway

June 21, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

AI is amazing. It is all the rage these days. Companies everywhere are jumping on the AI bandwagon. No one wants to be left behind when true believers are raptured to the mainframe in the sky. What makes the AI work? The AI works because of information it gained from a human generated dataset. Let’s label the dataset D. We can measure the information in the dataset with Shannon entropy. Represent the information with H(D). When we train an AI with this data, we are applying a mathematical function to the dataset. This function is the training algorithm. Labelling the training algorithm T, then we represent training as T(D). The outcome of training is a new AI model. The model generates new data. We Read More ›

TV News studio - recording and broadcasting media in a modern set design with blue background for journalists. Generative AI

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 2, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Buzzfeed, Google, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, metaverse, Microsoft, News, Silicon Valley, Tech, Vice}

Media and Tech Companies Continue to Struggle

_{Vice reportedly is opting for bankruptcy, while Meta's metaverse flounders} _{News

May 2, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

According to a report from The New York Times, Vice Media Group, the entertainment outlet, is expected to file for bankruptcy. The news arrives amid considerable downsizing in the once leading media giant. Vice has long been known for its outreach to younger audiences and popularizing itself on social media platforms. Buzzfeed also recently announced the closure of its news division. After years of edgy and “irreverant” reporting, it seems the act is over. Other major technology companies are cutting expenses and laying off employees. With Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the woes seem to amount to the failed metaverse project, which was apparently was supposed to be so groundbreaking that it merited a makeover of the company name. With its vague Read More ›

Business times concept people walking overlay with time clock

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
March 29, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
Arts & Culture, Clock, Life Extension Project, Literature, Silicon Valley, Tech, Time, Wired}

It’s About Time

_{The cliche phrase "time is money" needs to be subverted by better metaphors, according to Odell} _{News

March 29, 2023

2

Technology}

Artist and writer Jenny Odell, author of the new book Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock, was recently interviewed by Wired. Odell’s 2019 book is called How to Do Nothing. In the interview, Odell discussed how the invention of the clock has altered the way people think about time, labor, and productivity. The cliche phrase “time is money” needs to be subverted by better metaphors, according to Odell, ones that emphasize meaning instead of mere activity. When she was asked how she avoided productivity “burnout” in her own writing life, Odell responded, If you’re not thinking of time as money, the other thing that you could be trying to find is meaning. That’s ultimately what I want out Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
March 15, 2023

Categorized
Business and Finance

Tagged
Banking, Bonds, Income, Interest rates, Investment, Principal, Silicon Valley, SVB}

Aren’t US Treasury Bonds Supposed to be Safe?

_{How can you lose money selling treasury bonds?} _{Jonathan Bartlett

March 15, 2023

3

Business and Finance}

For context, read Bartlett’s two previous articles on the fall of SVB and interest rates. Some people are confused as to how you can lose money selling treasury bonds, since they are supposed to be “safe” assets (the government is not expected to default on its loans, and, if it does, the economy probably has bigger problems). Economist Bob Murphy put together a great explainer thread on Twitter, which I will largely follow here. Let’s say that there is an asset that always yields a 1% return every year on however much you have invested, but you never get the principal back except by selling it to someone else. Let us call this asset ABC, and let us say that it is Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
March 14, 2023

Categorized
Business and Finance

Tagged
Banking, capitalism, economy, Finance, Interest rates, Invesment, Investors, Silicon Valley}

Why Did the Tech Bubble Correspond with Low Interest Rates?

_{Ultimately, our economy’s deeper problems aren’t so much a result of “money” as they are bad allocations of resources.} _{Jonathan Bartlett

March 14, 2023

4

Business and Finance}

For context, read Bartlett’s article explaining the fall of SVB here. I wanted to make a quick note about why tech bubbles tend to correspond with low interest rate environments. Interest rates essentially dictate how long someone can wait before they need to produce something of real value. In a 20% interest rate environment, it will be evident really quickly if you are failing to produce something of value. Since essentially 1/5 of your capital disappears each year, if you aren’t doing something that will generate real profits quickly, you are sunk. You can’t paper over problems with more borrowing because the cost of that borrowing is so high. Additionally, in such an environment, the payoffs for investment need to be large Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
March 13, 2023

Categorized
Business and Finance

Tagged
Assets, Banking, Debt, Investors, Loan, Silicon Valley}

What’s Going on at Silicon Valley Bank?

_{The bank's failure is making a lot of people nervous about their money} _{Jonathan Bartlett

March 13, 2023

5

Business and Finance}

Many people awoke this morning to news of a bank that suddenly collapsed – Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB. While information is still developing, I thought I would provide some background information on what is known so far. SVB is the go-to bank for Silicon Valley startups. Over the last few years, the tech bubble has been growing and growing and growing, focused especially around Silicon Valley. That meant a lot of banking was happening, and it was happening with SVB. That is where the various companies put their deposits. How does a bank make money? By lending out deposits. In 2021, at the height of the tech bubble (and, not coincidentally, at a historically low-interest rate environment). The bank did what most banks do Read More ›

introduction to the metaverse universe. Man wearing augmented reality glasses for future technology. transition to the virtual world.

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
January 25, 2023

Categorized
Virtual Reality

Tagged
apple, CEO, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, metaverse, Microsoft, Silicon Valley, social media, Technology, Virtual Reality (VR)}

More Bad News for the Metaverse

_{Virtual reality projects are losing steam across the tech industry in the wake of layoffs and investor skepticism} _{Peter Biles

January 25, 2023

2

Virtual Reality}

Big tech companies across the spectrum, including Meta, Microsoft, and Apple, are scaling back on virtual reality research and development. The technological demands of the metaverse are more advanced than CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg have anticipated, and employees are feeling the impact. Microsoft recently laid off 10,000 workers, cutting funding from the lab responsible for the production of its mixed-reality “HoloLens.” The army was originally in the works to use the Microsoft lens for aids in combat and training, but the technology has since been labeled as “dangerous and poorly designed.” Meta laid off 11,000 employees last November and continues to struggle to gain interest and traction for its ambitious metaverse project. A report from Insider notes that a combination Read More ›

Electronics Engineer Works with Robot Checking Voltage and Program Response time. Computer Science Research Laboratory with Specialists Working.

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
April 5, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Data Privacy, Military, Surveillance

Tagged
Ashton Carter, Big Data, Bureaucracy (and science advances), China, China (competitiveness in AI), Great Reset, Gregory Chaitin, Patent filings, Silicon Valley, U. S. Department of Defense, United States (competitiveness in AI), Walter Isaacson}

Has the United States Lost Silicon Valley?

_{Once on friendly terms with the U,S, Department of Defense, Silicon Valley must consider the views of its friends in China} _{Denyse O'Leary

April 5, 2021

8

Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Data Privacy, Military, Surveillance}

Recently, we learned that China had, for the first time, surpassed the United States in AI patent filings: The development was revealed by Li Yuxiao, Deputy Head of the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies at the 7th World Internet Conference (WIC), reports SCMP. With this, China is now bolstering its position of being a leader in AI. As per the report, China had filed more than 110,000 artificial intelligence patents last year, more than the patents filed by the United States but the number of patents filed by the country has not been disclosed. “China surpasses US for the first time in artificial intelligence patent filings” at TECHregister (November 27, 2020) Now, people have been claiming that innovative competitiveness is Read More ›

Department store shop class luxury, near the Red Bridge, historical buildings of Saint-Petersburg. In the background the city and St. Isaac's Cathedral dome of golden color, in the evening at sunset.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 9, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Global Technology, Surveillance

Tagged
capitalism, CNA Adversary Analysis Group, entrepreneurship, Facial Recognition, Featured, Free enterprise, National Technologies Initiative, Ntech Lab, Robert J. Marks, Rostec, Russia, Samuel Bendett, Silicon Valley}

Russia Aims to Close the Technology Gap With the United States

_{Independent since 1991, the vast nation offers a government version of Silicon Valley culture} _{News

October 9, 2020

10

Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Global Technology, Surveillance}

In this week’s podcast, “AI development in Russia, Part 1,” Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks talks with Samuel Bendett about Russia’s struggles to develop AI for entrepreneurship and free enterprise, rather than military uses. It turns out to be mainly a cultural struggle, as historic institutions must adapt to an environment where market dominance is more important than military dominance. Mr. Bendett, who is fluent in Russian and English, is an advisor to the Russia Studies Program and the Center for Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence of the CNA Adversary Analysis Group. And how is Russia faring? https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-103-Samuel-Bendett.mp3 From the transcript: (Show Notes, Resources, and a link to the complete transcript follow.) Robert J. Marks (pictured): What I want Read More ›

Finally froze while looking for this shot, but it was worth it.

^{Type
podcast

Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
October 8, 2020

Tagged
academia, Artificial Intelligence, entrepreneurship, Facial Recognition, facial recognition systems, government, image recognition system, Investment, Russia, Samuel Bendett, Silicon Valley, speech recognition software, STEM fields, Venture capital}

AI Development in Russia — Part 1

_{Robert J. Marks

October 8, 2020

1}

What is happening in Russia right now with regards to non-military development of artificial intelligence? Samuel Bendett and Robert J. Marks discuss Russian non-military development of AI, entrepreneurship, and free enterprise. Show Notes 00:46 | Introducing Samuel Bendett, advisor with the CNA Adversary Analysis Group 01:37 | Samuel Bendett’s background 02:14 | Russian non-military development of AI 09:28 | Taking Read More ›

driver uber car in black car in the street of new york

^{Type
post

Author
Jeffrey Funk
Date
June 2, 2020

Categorized
Business and Finance, Global Technology

Tagged
Featured, Regulation, Silicon Valley, startups, Uber}

Why Are There No New Googles and Amazons?

_{The internet has matured, making many new internet-based companies comparatively low-tech} _{Jeffrey Funk

June 2, 2020

5

Business and Finance, Global Technology}

Today’s startups have targeted a much different set of technologies than did startups in past decades.

Transhumanism—Is It a Dangerous Idea?

_{Some Silicon Valley greats hope to merge with machines to live forever. But what then?} _{News

November 19, 2019

7

Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion, Transhumanism}

The late philosopher Jerry Fodor (1935—2017) said that the reason “we’re all materialists” is that the alternatives seem even worse. Transhumanism, had he lived to see it develop, would give him pause for further reflection.

Tech Entrepreneur Peter Thiel says Silicon Valley is losing its touch

_{Peter Thiel also compared universities today to the Catholic Church at its worst} _{Denyse O'Leary

October 23, 2019

2

Religion, Work}

About the Big Tech companies, he says, “The story is not that they have done a lot of bad things but that they have not done enough good things. That remains the core challenge of Silicon Valley.”

Exporting and Securing Technologies of Today and Tomorrow

_{U.S. Export Control and Research Espionage} _{Robert J. Marks and Daniel M. Ogden, J.D.

January 24, 2019

1}

Technology is vital in commerce and war. Corporations spend billions in development and don’t want to get ripped off. Technology and AI, more than ever, determine military superiority. What are the laws that protect technology and how are they enforced? Show Notes 01:20 | Introduction; Daniel M. Ogden, J.D. 03:06 | Reasons for protected technology 04:00 | Determining what needs Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Mind Matters
Date
October 30, 2018

Categorized
Ethics

Tagged
Code of Conduct, Google, harassment, Richard Hipp, Silicon Valley, SQLite}

Peaceful code of conduct sparks rage in Silicon Valley

_{Hi tech firm’s code, based on ancient monks’ practice, deemed “just disgusting”} _{Mind Matters

October 30, 2018

6

Ethics}

Whether or not the Rule of St. Benedict is suited to a high tech workplace, the strategy of frightening or policing people out of bad behavior implies low expectations. One thing it means is, there will be many more news stories about harassment to come. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Mind Matters
Date
September 25, 2018

Categorized
Ethics

Tagged
censorship, China, Google, Silicon Valley, Surveillance}

Google Powering China’s Snoop Culture

_{They’ve suppressed the memo but can’t suppress the uproar around it} _{Mind Matters

September 25, 2018

4

Ethics}

It may at first seem deeply ironic that a Silicon Valley ostensibly committed to liberal values would help to unleash this storm. But a political analyst carefully traces the growth in its enthusiasm for “smart government,” using the tools of information technology for social engineering. Read More ›