#015 Arif Khan: CEO of Alethea on AI, Curiosity as an Antidote to Fear, & Intelligent NFTs

12/03/22 • 67 min

Arif Khan joins Alex and Evan to unpack the philosophy, ethics, and what-ifs of AI, dispel common myths, and share what Alethea is building, as well as how you can get involved. This episode is deep, fun, and leaves no doubt--the future is full of possibility!
1:31 Introduction of Arif Khan - CEO of Alethea (Greek for “truth”), a protocol for interactive and intelligent NFTs (iNFTs)
2:47 The importance of curiosity and the tendency to fear what we don’t understand
5:23 Challenges and opportunities: educating consumers about AI and NFTs
6:39 “Make it relatable” - preserving and owning intangible things like a personality
10:04 “Let’s talk about deepfakes” - How to innovate responsibly and protect against malicious intent (GPT3, Dall-E, Open AI; open vs. gate-kept software)
16:27 iNFTS: the origins and evolution of Alethea
18:56 “Alice,” the first iNFT: Trained on Lewis Carroll & Satoshi, auctioned at Sotheby’s
21:22 “Think about the scene in Avengers when Ultron wakes up.” Self-programming and human intervention; addressing concerns about AI
28:51 Philosophical questions: can AI answer the Nature vs. Nurture debate? Become conscious? Make meaning?
37:24 “Body, mind, and soul”: what is a personality pod?
42:00 How you can get involved: train an AI with no-code, just by talking
46:56 More recommendations for getting involved with AI or blockchain
49:38 Arif’s journey from philosophy to business, LinkedIn to Grab, and learning by doing
54:16 Is this personal for you? “Fulfilling promises to myself”
59:29 Downloading consciousness - is it possible?
1:03:29 What’s next for Alethea and how to connect with Arif

Arif Twitter: @Arkhan
Alethea Twitter/Tiktok: @real_alethea
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/aletheaai
alethea.ai
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos
Midjourney: https://midjourney.com/
Michio Kaku
Neil DeGrasse Tyson

__
Enjoy!
SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/FacelessLabs
👉 Guest or sponsor: [email protected]
FOLLOW OUR HOSTS:
👋 Mack Lorden: https://macklorden.info
🚁 Alex Popovic: https://alexpopovic.info
☮️ Evan Mann: https://linktr.ee/conversationswithevan
🧱 Michael Shoup: @michaelshoup
🕵️ Mihir Kothapally: @mehere114
🧑‍🏫 Joe Devine: @highimpacttrdg
—
🧬ABOUT FACELESS LABS 🧬
Faceless Labs is a top web3 consulting agency and community incubator empowering crypto enthusiasts at all levels of experience with education and opportunities. We believe all people are the Many, and that the Many will Rise Up together.
👉Website: https://www.facelesscrypto.com
👉 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/themany
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/faceless_labs
🤝CONSULTING 🤝
Looking to learn about or launch an NFT series? A metaverse experience? Reach out! We can help plan and execute storytelling, utility, design, culture, community management, sales, marketing, and blockchain for you.
👉 [email protected]
—
✊🔥ABOUT THE FACELESS MANY🔥✊
8064 epic characters who represent the hero in all of us. Holding a Faceless Many NFT earns you $REVP (revPoints), which can be used in our marketplace to purchase virtually anything. TFM, the Faceless Allies, and the AI generated Villains of our Story, the Corrupted, are your ticket to the Financial Revolution. Get yours and Rise Up today!
✅ https://beacons.ai/thefacelessmany

Disclaimer:
Faceless Labs is not licensed to give financial or legal advice. Nothing on this channel should be construed as financial or legal advice. These videos are for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Previous Episode

#014 William Quigley: Co-Founder of Tether and WAX on the Evolution of Gaming, Stablecoins, and the Revolution of Tokenized Money

Mack, Alex, and Evan are joined by one of our favorite thinkers on the blockchain: William Quigley--experienced venture capitalist, gaming OG, and the co-founder of WAX & Tether. William shares insights from his career on the evolution of gaming, mental models for NFTs/blockchain, and the guys geek out on the revolutionary distinction between digital and tokenized money.
1:33 William’s intro - from gaming to Disney to venture capital to blockchain
3:44 Alex and William get nerdy on gaming, virtual items, and NFTs
7:44 Why incumbent/AAA companies will not foster NFT adoption
10:06 How important (actually) are NFTs in gaming?
15:09 Virtual items vs. skins
16:59 “Why would people pay for something that only has cosmetic value?”
19:41 “The magic of NFTs” - what they are(n’t), and what they really do
22:25 Solutions to counterfeiting - Disney case study
25:18 The mega-trend William thinks is inevitable
27:06 Hot take: “Almost nothing is better on blockchain...”
28:47 The most powerful use case: tokenizing (vs. digitizing) money
36:13 Tokenizing the US dollar and the origin of Tether
41:59 “Bitcoin is... the worst payment system ever invented”: Tether vs. Bitcoin
44:15 US Congressional interest in a CBDC
47:44 The 3 types of stablecoins
51:35 Which stable is best? + addressing Tether FUD
58:36 William’s commentary on UST (TerraLuna)
1:03:17 Building your own blockchain: “Your brain will change”
1:08:45 Alex tells a story about building a blockchain with his friend
1:15:13 Where to find William; preview for round 2
William: @williamequigley
WAX: wax.io & @WAX_io (Twitter)
Tether: tether.to & @tether_to
__
Enjoy!
SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/FacelessLabs
👉 Guest or sponsor: [email protected]
FOLLOW OUR HOSTS:
👋 Mack Lorden: https://macklorden.info
🚁 Alex Popovic: https://alexpopovic.info
☮️ Evan Mann: https://linktr.ee/conversationswithevan
🧱 Michael Shoup: @michaelshoup
🕵️ Mihir Kothapally: @mehere114
🧑‍🏫 Joe Devine: @highimpacttrdg
—
🧬ABOUT FACELESS LABS 🧬
Faceless Labs is a top web3 consulting agency and community incubator empowering crypto enthusiasts at all levels of experience with education and opportunities. We believe all people are the Many, and that the Many will Rise Up together.
👉Website: https://www.facelesscrypto.com
👉 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/themany
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/faceless_labs
🤝CONSULTING 🤝
Looking to learn about or launch an NFT series? A metaverse experience? Reach out! We can help plan and execute storytelling, utility, design, culture, community management, sales, marketing, and blockchain for you.
👉 [email protected]
—
✊🔥ABOUT THE FACELESS MANY🔥✊
8064 epic characters who represent the hero in all of us. Holding a Faceless Many NFT earns you $REVP (revPoints), which can be used in our marketplace to purchase virtually anything. TFM, the Faceless Allies, and the AI generated Villains of our Story, the Corrupted, are your ticket to the Financial Revolution. Get yours and Rise Up today!
✅ https://beacons.ai/thefacelessmany

Next Episode

#016 Michael Shoup: Deep Dive on MONARK, the Metaverse, Creator Rights, and User Experience

Michael Shoup sets aside his role as The Maestro at Faceless Labs to tell us about his latest endeavor: MONARK Market -- a marketplace model for the metaverse. In a wide-ranging discussion, Evan and Michael discuss the state of the metaverse (challenges, opportunities, creator rights and user experience), debate web3 licensing models, and share a philosophical exploration of what the metaverse of the future might look like--plus how you can get involved!
1:31 Michael’s introduction: from music -> marketing -> blockchain -> the metaverse 3:53 What is the metaverse?
8:13 Problems & opportunities
12:12 Zooming in on marketplaces and a lack of universal standards
14:28 MONARK marketplace - bridging the gap to a more integrated, user-friendly experience
19:18 “Where do NFTs fit?” Novel solutions for unlocking content
24:53 Why should makers care about this? (True contract ownership, asset protection, royalties, etc.)
30:58 Marketplaces vs. Artists - respecting royalties*
32:10 What will it cost to use MONARK?
35:51 The “Migration” community marketing campaign: $FLUTTER bounties and revenue sharing
38:38 Beyond launch: the future of MONARK
40:56 Beyond VR: more mental models and use cases for everyday life
42:35 The implications of immutability (and why “wallet” is a limiting word)
44:19 Michael vs. Evan: IP and digital assets
51:23 Giving creators the spotlight: how Michael’s background in music influences MONARK’s approach
52:51 How to connect with Michael, start using MONARK, or participate in Migration
56:50 Metaverse talk shows, graffiti, and performance art
1:01:45 “Do you have a favorite Metaverse experience?”
1:05:45 Philosophical musings, what we would build, and a deeper understanding of what it means to be human
1:11:43 “Any sufficiently advanced technology should be indistinguishable from magic.”

*This episode was filmed in October, as marketplaces/creator royalties were becoming a hot topic. Any facts or figures quoted may have changed (what can we say—we were early!)

monark.market
linktr.ee/madebymonark
https://twitter.com/michaelshoup
__
Enjoy!
SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/FacelessLabs
👉 Guest or sponsor: [email protected]
FOLLOW OUR HOSTS:
👋 Mack Lorden: https://macklorden.info
🚁 Alex Popovic: https://alexpopovic.info
☮️ Evan Mann: https://linktr.ee/conversationswithevan
🧱 Michael Shoup: @michaelshoup
🕵️ Mihir Kothapally: @mehere114
🧑‍🏫 Joe Devine: @highimpacttrdg
—
🧬ABOUT FACELESS LABS 🧬
Faceless Labs is a top web3 consulting agency and community incubator empowering crypto enthusiasts at all levels of experience with education and opportunities. We believe all people are the Many, and that the Many will Rise Up together.
👉Website: https://www.facelesscrypto.com
👉 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/themany
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/faceless_labs
🤝CONSULTING 🤝
Looking to learn about or launch an NFT series? A metaverse experience? Reach out! We can help plan and execute storytelling, utility, design, culture, community management, sales, marketing, and blockchain for you.
👉 [email protected]
—
✊🔥ABOUT THE FACELESS MANY🔥✊
8064 epic characters who represent the hero in all of us. Holding a Faceless Many NFT earns you $REVP (revPoints), which can be used in our marketplace to purchase virtually anything. TFM, the Faceless Allies, and the AI generated Villains of our Story, the Corrupted, are your ticket to the Financial Revolution. Get yours and Rise Up today!
✅ https://beacons.ai/t