Augmented Worlds, Blockchain & Nurturing Curiosity
Making AI Digital Friends in Augmented Worlds, Blockchain, Brands and the Future of Consumer Experience and Access
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In this issue:
From the Pod: Two new episodes dropped this month
Lessons on nurturing curiosity from our guests
ICYMI
Your Free Guide to Web3
Making AI Digital Friends in Augmented Worlds with Alex Herrity of Anima
What’s the art of the possible when you blend technologies like AI, augmented reality and blockchain with play? Turns out, ownable digital companions that you can talk to and interact with, called OnlyBots. It's a new era of Tamagotchis, y’all. 🤖
In this episode I sit down with Alex Herrity, cofounder of Anima, a gaming and interactive technology company who has also worked on products like Fortnite, the Epic Games Store, and HBO’s streaming app.
In our conversation we cover:
👾 His origin story spanning from theme parks and gaming to emerging tech
👾 Ethical considerations as interactions with digital companions advance
👾 Predictions for mainstream augmented reality adoption and spatial computing
👾 How he nurtures curiosity and mental health while being a co-founder and a Dad
👾 How we need to thoughtfully shape how our physical and digital environments keep blending, keeping innovation grounded on bringing people together.
🎧 Listen to episode 5 on: Spotify, Apple, Youtube, and more
Blockchain, Brands and the Future of Consumer Experience & Access w/ Naimul Huq
When a machine is super intelligent, can we even reason with it? Can we even tell it what to do? Can we understand it at all? 👀
In this episode, I sit down with Naimul Huq, former SVP of Operations at Vayner3 and now CEO of Doctor Studios to dig into these questions about AI, our immigrant journeys from Bangladesh, and:
💾 His career - healthcare innovation, political data science, then diving into web3
💾 Bridging brands and consumers via data, marketing and operational excellence
💾 The tech evolution from early social media days to where we’re headed next
💾 Defining Web3 - a decentralized, immersive, and personalized internet
💾 Evaluating opportunities and risks as AI capabilities advance exponentially
🎧 Listen to episode 6 on: Spotify, Apple, Youtube and more
Lessons on Nurturing Curiosity
If you’re like me and your curiosity needs constant tending and nurturing, then check out these lessons from our guests on how they cultivate their curiosity.
Be willing to suck at something new. Building new skills can feel discouraging, but trust yourself and bet on you. - Simon Yi, Episode 1
Try not to be immediately dismissive about new technologies, instead get hands-on to see the opportunities, ethical implications, and figure out what is exciting to you. - Alex Herrity, Episode 4
Nurturing a multidisciplinary mindset for future trends work involves maintaining curiosity, openness, and adaptability to apply skills and perspectives in different ways as fields change rapidly over time. - Matt Klein, Episode 2
Learn from writers, activists, and people who have thought intentionally about ethical questions in history that may not be considered traditionally successful. - Kat Zhou, Episode 3
Proactively immerse yourself in learning & experimenting with new ideas and share what you learn with others. Cross pollinate insights from builders philosophers, innovators and academics. - Naimul Huq, Episode 5
⚡️ How do you nurture your curiosity? Drop a comment and share, so we can collectively learn.
ICYMI
Last week, the Secretary-General António Guterres announced the creation of a new “High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence” that has perspectives from leaders, academics, major tech companies and civil society organizations. This proactive approach to get global consensus on AI policy, privacy, bias, safety issues and other risks and challenges posed by AI is much needed. I’m definitely following along to see what outputs and conversations come out of their work.
I’m really looking forward to digging into Dr. Joy Buolamwini’s new book “Unmasking AI”, she founded the Algorithmic Justice League and has been a powerful voice in responsible AI. She’ll be in NYC on 10/31 for her book tour, check out if she’ll be in your area.
If you’re into all things future and trends, but want a more ground up approach, check out RADAR’s “Into The Future” event in November.
Are you looking to explore and learn about Web3?
I got you. I put together a free guide about web3, to help anyone get started regardless of where they are in their web3 journey. It’s packed with great resources, communities, courses and much more. Dig in and let me know what you think.
PS. I’ll be speaking at ADCOLOR this November, let me know if you’ll be there or in LA.