Humans in the Loop

In this conversation, I speak to William Morgan and Sylvan Rackham, the Co-Founders of Restless Egg, an incubator for Artist Founders, about the intersection of art, technology, and innovation.

They discuss the concept of the 'artist founder', the challenges faced by creative technologists, and the need for a supportive infrastructure to foster their ideas. The conversation explores the role of institutions, funding sources, and the future of technology, particularly in relation to AI. They emphasize the importance of agency in technology and the potential for artist founders to create meaningful experiences that go beyond mere productivity enhancements.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Restless Egg

01:21 Artist founders

04:18 Discovering the Community of Creators

10:10 Key Players in the Artist Founder Ecosystem

14:37 The Role of Philosophy and Technology

20:31 Bridging Art and Technology

25:32 Defining the Artist Founder

28:24 The Future of AI and Experience

29:20 The Role of Artist Founders in E-commerce

32:41 Funding the Creative Frontier

36:58 The Shift in Investment Perspectives

41:03 The Future of Technology and Agency

44:29 AI: Tool or Evolutionary Break?

51:45 The Playful Nature of Innovation

58:59 Empowering Agency Through Technology

Where you can hear more from William and Sylvan

www.restlessegg.com

William's substack

Some of the organisations mentioned:

• Antikythera

• Restless Egg
• Strelka
• Medialab

Some of the people mentioned:

• Benjamin Bratton
• Refik Anadol
• Daisy Ginsberg
• Ian Cheng

Other resources referenced:

• Sam Altman blog post about ideas people
• My post about Creative Outsiders
• A piece written by friend and collaborator, Danya Shults
• An artificial history of natural intelligence