James Evans: Scientific Progress

01/30/24 • 62 min

1 Listener

Why is scientific progress slowing down? That's a question that's been on the minds of many. But before we dive into that, let's ponder this—how do we even know that scientific progress is decelerating? And in an era where machines are capable of understanding complexities that sometimes surpass human cognition, how should we approach the future of knowledge?

Joining us in this exploration is Professor James Evans from the University of Chicago. As the director of the Knowledge Lab at UChicago, Professor Evans is at the forefront of integrating machine learning into the scientific process. His work is revolutionizing how new ideas are conceived, shared, and developed, not just in science but in all knowledge and creative processes.

Our conversation today is a journey through various intriguing landscapes. We'll delve into questions like:

Why has the pace of scientific discovery slowed, and can AI be the catalyst to reaccelerate it?
How does the deluge of information and the battle for attention affect the evolution of ideas?
What are the predictive factors for disruption and novelty in the idea landscape?
How should teams be structured to foster disruptive innovation?
What risks do homogeneity in thinking and AI model concentration pose?
How can we redefine diversity in the context of both human and AI collaboration?
What does the evolving nature of knowledge mean for the next generation of scientists?
Can tools like ChatGPT enhance diversity and innovative capabilities in research?
Is it time to debunk the myth of the lone genius and focus instead on the collective intelligence of humans and AI?

We're also thrilled to discuss Professor Evans' upcoming book, "Knowing," which promises to be a groundbreaking addition to our understanding of these topics.

So, whether you're a scientist, a creative, a business leader, a data scientist or just someone fascinated by the interplay of human intelligence and artificial technology, this episode is sure to offer fresh perspectives and insights.

About Artficiality from Helen & Dave Edwards:

Artificiality is a research and services business founded in 2019 to help people make sense of artificial intelligence and complex change. Our weekly publication provides thought-provoking ideas, science reviews, and market research and our monthly research releases provides leaders with actionable intelligence and insights for applying AI in their organizations. We provide research-based and expert-led AI strategy and complex change management services to organizations around the world.

We are artificial philosophers and meta-researchers who aim to make the philosophical more practical and the practical more philosophical. We believe that understanding AI requires synthesizing research across disciplines: behavioral economics, cognitive science, complexity science, computer science, decision science, design, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. We are dedicated to unraveling the profound impact of AI on our society, communities, workplaces, and personal lives.

Subscribe for free at https://www.artificiality.world.

If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe and leave a positive rating or comment. Sharing your positive feedback helps us reach more people and connect them with the world’s great minds.

Learn more about ⁠⁠Sonder Studio⁠⁠

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Learn about our book ⁠⁠Make Better Decisions⁠⁠ and buy it on ⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠

Thanks to ⁠⁠Jonathan Coulton⁠⁠ for our music

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.artificiality.world.

#ai #artificialintelligence #generativeai #airesearch #complexity #futureofai

Our conversation today is a journey through various intriguing landscapes. We'll delve into questions like:

Why has the pace of scientific discovery slowed, and can AI be the catalyst to reaccelerate it?
How does the deluge of information and the battle for attention affect the evolution of ideas?
What are the predictive factors for disruption and novelty in the idea landscape?
How should teams be structured to foster disruptive innovation?
What risks do homogeneity in thinking and AI model concentration pose?
How can we redefine diversity in the context of both human and AI collaboration?
What does the evolving nature of knowledge mean for the next generation of scientists?
Can tools like ChatGPT enhance diversity and innovative capabilities in research?
Is it time to debunk the myth of the lone genius and focus instead on the collective intelligence of humans and AI?

We're also thrilled to discuss Professor Evans' upcoming book, "Knowing," which promises to be a groundbreaking addition to our understanding of these topics.

About Artficiality from Helen & Dave Edwards:

Subscribe for free at https://www.artificiality.world.

If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe and leave a positive rating or comment. Sharing your positive feedback helps us reach more people and connect them with the world’s great minds.

Learn more about ⁠⁠Sonder Studio⁠⁠

Subscribe to get ⁠⁠Artificiality⁠⁠ delivered to your email

Learn about our book ⁠⁠Make Better Decisions⁠⁠ and buy it on ⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠

Thanks to ⁠⁠Jonathan Coulton⁠⁠ for our music

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.artificiality.world.

#ai #artificialintelligence #generativeai #airesearch #complexity #futureofai

Previous Episode

Ed Sim: AI Venture Capital

Few understand how to anticipate major technology shifts in the enterprise better than today's guest, Ed Sim. Ed is a pioneer in the world of venture capital, specifically focusing on enterprise software and infrastructure since 1996. He founded Boldstart in 2010 to invest at the earliest stages of enterprise software companies, growing the firm from $1M to around $375M today.

So where does an experienced investor who has seen countless tech waves come and go place his bets in this new AI-first future? That’s the key topic we dive into today.

While AI forms a core part of our dialogue, Ed emphasizes that he doesn’t look at pitches and go “Oh, AI, I need to invest in that.” Rather, he tries to see if founders have identified a real pain point, have a unique approach to solving it, and can clearly articulate how they will provide a significant improvement over status quo. AI is an important component, of course, but it isn’t a reason to invest alone.

With that framing in mind, Ed shares where he is most excited to invest in light of recent generative AI breakthroughs. Unsurprisingly, AI security ranks high on his list given enterprises’ skittishness around adopting any technology that could compromise sensitive data or infrastructure. Ed saw this need early, backing a startup called Protect AI in March 2022 that focuses specifically on monitoring and certifying the security of AI systems.

The implications of AI have branched into virtually every sector, but Ed reminds us that as investors and builders, we must stay grounded in solving real problems vs just chasing the shiny new thing.

Key Points:

Ed Sim started Boldstart Ventures in 2010 to provide early stage funding for enterprise startups, writing smaller checks than typical VC firms. The firm now manages a nearly $200 million main fund and a $175 million opportunity fund.
Generative AI is an exciting new technology, but the key is backing founders who are solving real problems for end users in a unique way that is 10x better than current solutions. AI is just the underlying technology.
AI security is critical for enterprise adoption. Ed invested early in Protect AI, which helps monitor AI models for security, privacy, and compliance issues. AI security will be key to scale adoption.
There are still open questions around data governance with large language models that access sensitive company data. Approaches that check governance policies before providing answers are the safest for now.
Factors like inference cost, subscription fatigue, and proving ROI will impact how quickly some of the consumer generative AI applications gain traction. Creative solutions around caching, pricing models, and hybrid human+AI loops can help.
There will be opportunities related to embedding expertise into systems to empower junior and senior employees. Tools like GitHub Copilot show potential to augment technical skills.

About Artficiality from Helen & Dave Edwards:

Subscribe for free at https://www.artificiality.world.

If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe and leave a positive rating or comment. Sharing your positive feedback helps us reach more people and connect them with the world’s great minds.

Learn more about ⁠⁠Sonder Studio⁠⁠

Subscribe to get ⁠⁠Artificiality⁠⁠ delivered to your email

Learn about our book ⁠⁠Make Better Decisions⁠⁠ and buy it on ⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠

Thanks to ⁠⁠Jonathan Coulton⁠⁠ for our music

This i...

Next Episode

Tyler Marghetis: The Leaps of Human Imagination

We're excited to welcome Tyler Marghetis, Assistant Professor of Cognitive & Information Sciences at the University of California, Merced, to the show today. Tyler studies what he calls the "lulls and leaps" or "ruts and ruptures" of human imagination and experience.

He's fascinated by how we as humans can get stuck in certain patterns of thinking and acting, but then also occasionally experience radical transformations in our perspectives. In our conversation, Tyler shares with us some of his lab's fascinating research into understanding and even predicting these creative breakthroughs and paradigm shifts. You'll hear about how he's using AI tools to analyze patterns in things like Picasso's entire body of work over his career. Tyler explains why he believes isolation and slowness are actually key ingredients for enabling many of history's greatest creative leaps. And he shares with us how his backgrounds in high-performance sports and in the LGBTQ community shape his inclusive approach to running his university research lab.

It's a wide-ranging and insightful discussion about the complexity of human creativity and innovation. Let's dive in to our interview with Tyler Marghetis.

About Artficiality from Helen & Dave Edwards:

Subscribe for free at https://www.artificiality.world.

If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe and leave a positive rating or comment. Sharing your positive feedback helps us reach more people and connect them with the world’s great minds.

Learn more about ⁠⁠Sonder Studio⁠⁠

Subscribe to get ⁠⁠Artificiality⁠⁠ delivered to your email

Learn about our book ⁠⁠Make Better Decisions⁠⁠ and buy it on ⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠

Thanks to ⁠⁠Jonathan Coulton⁠⁠ for our music

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.artificiality.world.

#ai #artificialintelligence #generativeai #airesearch #complexity #futureofai