The Syndicate

Where Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists Talk Early Stage Tech Startups

The Mathematics of War and Future of US-China Relations, Plus AI, Automation and Mutually Assured Destruction | Sean Gourley

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Sean Gourley is a physicist, founder and CEO of AI company, Primer, an expert on the mathematics of war, TED Fellow, speaker and political advisor.

Before that, he was CTO and co-founder of Quid, an augmented-intelligence company and also worked on self-repairing nano-circuits at NASA. Sean was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford focused on complex systems and the mathematical patterns underlying modern war which was published on the cover of Nature.

He has served as a political advisor, briefed USCENTCOM at the Pentagon and addressed the United Nations in Vienna, serves on the Board of Directors at Anadarko (NYSE:APC).

Sean is also a two-time New Zealand track and field champion and sits on the Knight Commission focused on reforming collegiate athletics.

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Why the US and China are Already in a Cold War, the Economics of Inequality and Future of Capitalism | Geoff Colvin

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Geoff Colvin (@geoffcolvin) is FortuneMagazine’s Senior Editor-at-Large, an award-winning thinker, author, broadcaster, and speaker on the most significant trends and issues impacting business, politics and the economy. Geoff’s work has earned him millions of loyal fans and 7M weekly listeners on CBS Radio Network

He’s the author of four books including groundbreaking bestsellers Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else and Humans are Underrated on the future of work and how humans fit into a workplace filled with robots and smart technology.

Geoff has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, Squawk Box, CBS This Morning, ABC’s World News Tonight, CNN, PBS’s Nightly Business Report, and dozens of other programs. He also served as anchor of Wall $treet Week with Fortune on PBS and has moderated panels with or interviewed Jack Welch, Henry Kissinger, Richard Branson, the Prince of Wales, Bill Gates, Alan Greenspan, Steve Case, Tony Blair, Michael Dell, Ted Turner, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Henry Paulson, Ben Bernanke, and many others.

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Gigaom CEO Byron Reese on AI Consciousness, Tech Progress and 4th Age of Humanity

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Byron Reese is the CEO and publisher of Gigaom, an industry-leading technology research company. Byron’s also an award-winning author, speaker, and futurist with a strong conviction that technology will help bring about a new golden age of humanity.

Byron holds a number of technology patents and hosts two podcasts about artificial intelligence. He gives talks around the world about how technology is changing work, education, and culture to combined audiences well in excess of 100,000.

His newest book, The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity tackle the issues of artificial intelligence, robots, automation, and the future of work. Byron is also the author of Infinite Progress: How the Internet and Technology Will End Ignorance, Disease, Poverty, Hunger, and War.

Bloomberg Businessweek credits Byron with having “quietly pioneered a new breed of a media company.” The Financial Times of London reported that he “is typical of the new wave of internet entrepreneurs out to turn the economics of the media industry on its head.”

Byron and his work have been featured in hundreds of news outlets, including New York Times, Washington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, USA Today, Reader’s Digest, NPR, and the LA Times Magazine.

“The biggest problems of tomorrow will not be a lack of jobs but a shortage of humans to take advantage of all of the opportunities technology will offer.” – byronreese.com

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Understanding the Adoption Curve of VR and Mixed Reality | Sam Watts

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Sam Watts is one of the foremost thinkers on VR and the Director of Immersive Technologies at MakeReal, a company that believes that immersive digital products are transforming the way we work, play and learn. MakeReal makes virtual reality experiences, augmented reality devices, collaborative ‘serious games’ and other tools that support new types of work, play and learning.

Sam’s passion for VR shows throughout his previous work with BBC, Channel 4, Sky and PlayStation. He has 20+ years in software and game development and project management and now spends his days focused on creating the epic immersive experiences of the future.

 

In our wide-ranging conversation, we cover many things, including:

  • How psychedelics started the virtual reality movement
  • Why dystopian VR is unlikely in Sam’s opinion
  • What areas are advancing rapidly and causing VR’s progress
  • The reason a single company probably won’t own the VR market
  • Why immersive experiences change the equation for the entertainment of the future
  • The problem with consumer VR today and what needs to change to spur adoption
  • What is the experience escape velocity and why is it so important?
  • When we can expect to see consumer VR takeoff
  • The chicken and the egg problem of content and cost
  • Why 5G will drive the adoption of VR
  • The reason the future is likely mixed reality

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