Indivisible

Welcome to the first solo episode of Indivisible! Up until now, we've followed an interview format and focused half on topics in crypto and half on AI. Today, we dive into a topic that sits right at the intersection of the AI-crypto frontier.

On this episode, we'll take a look at at the opportunity for disrupting our current paradigm of centralized AI by creating a decentralized protocol for machine learning compute. We'll review the current AI paradigm and terms of access for today's primary 'foundational models,' the stakes of continuing AI development as is, the political efforts that are underway to secure AI monopoly and finally... the crypto-driven opportunity for disruption that is being pioneered by the Gensyn protocol.

Gensyn is securing the right to build AI (at scale) for everyone not as a legal right but using the laws of code, and we think there are few problems that could be more important and inspiring to be solving right now.

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“Computational liberty is best achieved via technological means.”

Cypherpunks write code.

This episode of Indivisible takes us on a journey to discover Freeport, a new platform that is bringing fine art ownership to Ethereum by using tokens to represent ownership shares. Freeport plans to acquire and offer fractionalized ownership shares in famous works of contemporary art, starting with four pieces from Andy Warhol.

Freeport envisions a new form of ownership that allows for multiple individuals to participate in the experience of owning fine art and other real-world assets by using the coordination function of blockchain technology. Under SEC approval, ownership shares will be sold and held by buyers in the form of Ethereum-backed tokens. In the future, these interests will also be open to trade on a secondary market and leverage in connection with the powerful and permission-less Defi ecosystem.

Freeport is both making a cutting-edge Defi play to bring the value of real world assets on-chain and represents a movement towards democratizing the experience of owning blue chip fine art.

These are all themes that you will hear Freeport’s CEO Colin Johnson discuss on this episode in greater detail. The story also features a breakdown of Freeport’s SEC gambit with company lawyer Marck Roszak — which Colin hopes can provide a helpful guide to other crypto companies looking to follow suit — and an inside look at Warhol as an artist with the fabulous Jane Holzer. Jane was a member of Andy’s inner circle of muses and friends who were dubbed “Warhol Superstars” at the time. Today, she is one of the top Warhol collectors in the world, and the first four Warhols that Freeport will be putting on offer were sourced directly from her collection.

Enjoy.

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This episode features an in-depth conversation with Ovie Faruq, who is better known by his artist name and industry moniker, OSF. Step but one foot inside most any crypto circle and OSF needs no introduction. As a successful crypto artist, trader and builder, he has already established the makings of a deep legacy and is just getting started.

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Not only is his work sought after by top collectors, he is also the co- creator of the rektguy NFT brand — which is shaping up to be a powerful meme within the cultural zeitgeist of NFTs. Alongside the collection is the Degenz trading community, which OSF and his partners at Canary Labs continue to cultivate through NFT education, culture and leadership.

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OSF is a great example of how crypto markets and tools allow people to combine the different aspects to create bespoke and limitless careers. In our conversation, we dig into OSF’s views on the impact of macro conditions, his business partnership/friendship with Mando, thoughts on creator royalty resolution, sources of artistic inspiration, lessons from his time as a trad-fi trader, the role of a leader, the future of rektguy and much more.

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OSF inspires in many ways, perhaps the most of which are his thoughtful nature and the fact that he always seems to be having fun while showing others how to follow in his success. He was very gracious to share his insight and trademark authenticity in this conversation and as a result, it is full of gems. I hope you get #rekt and enjoy.

This episode features an in-depth conversation with crypto artist Patrick Amadon about life, truth, origin stories and the future of NFTs.

Today’s guest is Meg Batson, an amazing photographer in the NFT space. Her work centers around artistic nudes and themes of playing with shape and light focused on the female form. I loved talking with her about opportunities for nude photography in crypto markets to empower women in the expression of their bodies and elevate social consciousness around nudity

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We also dive into her journey a creative and finding success in the NFT space, including of course a discussion about relationships. In particular, the special Medici-like relationship of patronage between artist and collector that fuels shared creativity on the basis of aligned incentives. There is a sense of abundance and mutuality in this relationship that makes it easy to see how NFTs could fuel an artistic renaissance.

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Meg is a great example of the many people in crypto who are finding a sense of home and opportunity for holistic success that extends beyond what felt possible before. The ability to succeed in a life of authenticity shouldn’t feel like a luxury, and yet for many it has. Meg’s journey is a great example of how crypto opens doors for creators to live a new reality of personal and professional success. As creators are able to push more boundaries, it also allows us as a society to embody new norms (and markets) around creative expression.

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Including, for example, our conventions around artistic nude photography and displays of the female form.

Welcome to the return of Indivisible!  We are rebranded with a primary focus on crypto markets as the ultimate intersection of technology, creativity and freedom.

To kick things off, this episode features a wide-ranging conversation with NFT collector, industry veteran and cryptopunk @TappySF. Tappy has been into crypto and NFTs since the beginning. He is involved in many top digital avatar collections and the world of 1/1 digital art.  If all of this sounds foreign to you, don’t worry, we’ll be breaking it down to market fundamentals.

And if you’re a veteran, we’ll also be diving in deep.  We explore concepts ranging from greed to trust, pseudonymity, IP, managing volatility and the relationships of mentorship and friendship that fuel the journey. Consider this a high-level NFT primer that covers philosophy alongside brass tacks and harsh truths when it comes to avoiding traps and making profit.

I believe there is a unique place for each individual to realize identity and creative power in NFTs. Built into the foundation of profit, is possibility. Wherever you come from, NFTs offer an opportunity to let go of the siloed self. They are a point of fusion that allow us to exist at once as our multi-dimensional selves, anchored in the quantum convictions of the things that inspire us the most.

Crypto rewards the doers, and Tappy shares his hard-won lessons from playing the game.  I hope it inspires you to play yours.

xA

1:50 -Episode Intro

3:30 - Tappy's Introduction to Crypto & NFTs

6:08 - Short History of CryptoPunks and Birth of ERC-721

7:51 - Tappy's Early Journey

11:10 - Managing Market Volatility

14:14 - Market Dynamics: Aesthetics, Community & Profit

17:01 - Greed and Vibes

19:42 - On Friendship and Mentorship, ft. @Anonymoux

25:30 - Pseudonymity and Privacy

29:53 - Market Fundamentals and Trading Strategies

33:00 - The Game of 1/1s & a Love of Art

36:40 - Provenance & IP - Punks, Apes & Toadz

46:05 - Bullet Points on What Makes a Blue Chip

50:41 - Leaders and Followers

Alex Gladstein is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and an expert on the subject of bitcoin for human rights. On today's episode we go deep, exploring the many human rights challenges of the world's current financial system and how bitcoin offers a solution.

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Bitcoin aims to be the world’s new reserve currency and medium of exchange. It offers a store of value that is resistant to inflation and seizure and a way for individuals to transact without any intermediaries, from anywhere across the world. Whereas tyranny thrives by consolidating power, bitcoin is decentralized and thereby offers a tool of individual empowerment that cannot be repressed.

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If this sounds intriguing, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Alex and I also discuss a nuanced understanding of Bitcoin’s energy consumption, relative to the petrodollar arrangement that drives our global financial system today.  He also helps us understand how the unique features of bitcoin (that distinguish it from other cryptocurrencies) are integral to its human rights value proposition.

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Finally, we dive into the prospect of Bitcoin promoting financial freedom in a world without cash. One challenge here is to design for privacy in a way that keeps the currency auditable. Another challenge is payment efficiency. On both fronts, Alex introduces innovations that are underway.  As the threats of digital authoritarianism loom large, bitcoin may be one of the best structural solutions that we have to protect human rights.

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If you’re familiar with bitcoin, I hope this conversation helps to crystallizes its relationship to human rights.  And if you’re new to bitcoin, I hope these ideas inspire you to understand the challenges and opportunities of our digital world just a little differently than before.

Follow Alex: https://twitter.com/gladstein

Learn more about HRF: https://hrf.org

*See show notes for more links to Alex's work.

Today’s topic is digital authoritarianism and my guest to share her incredible wisdom on these issues is Eileen Donahoe. Eileen formerly served as the US Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council and the Director of Global Affairs at Human Rights Watch. She currently runs the Global Digital Policy Incubator at Stanford, where she is prolific at advocating for human rights-based governance in the digital realm.

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Our conversation today is as far-ranging as the issues, anchored in part by Eileen’s recent work posing “Top Technology Priorities for the Biden Administration,” advocating that “A Transatlantic Effort to Take on China Starts with Technology” and speaking with Former Executive Chairman of Google Eric Schmidt on “The Ethics of Doing Business with China.”

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First, we discuss China. China poses a significant threat with respect to turning the world towards digital authoritarianism, which it is both modeling at home and exporting abroad. Eileen and I deconstruct this model and discuss strategies for US leadership to build an effective geopolitical front to counter this threat.

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Here, we touch on the relationship between technological supremacy and normative power. This positions the US lead with respect to AI development as a strategic matter of democratic concern. Under a “rivalry partnership” model, a favorable balance of power would create multiple layers — cooperative, competitive, and adversarial— of the US-China relationship to be simultaneously pursued.

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Eileen and I also discuss the importance of leading with human rights- based domestic policy and a strong US —EU alliance on governing digital society. A key issue for both will be platform regulation, which we map for both its public and private dimensions considering privacy, freedom of expression and a general balance of rights.

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In a game of multi-dimensional chess we are lucky to have Eileen to show us the Queen’s Gambit. The stakes are nothings short of a global battle for the model of digital governance that will dominate the next century. Will it reflect open society or cybersovereign models of state control? Listen in as Eileen shares strategies for US leadership to support democracy in a digital world.

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- About Eileen: https://stanford.io/3eVz9S5

- Tech Priorities for the Biden Admin: https://stanford.io/3thMR7e

- A Transatlantic Effort to Take on China: http://bit.ly/eileenalina

- Doing Business with China (with Eric Schmidt): http://bit.ly/eileenericschmidt

Today’s guest is Stuart Russell, and when it comes to AI you might just say, “he wrote the book.” In fact, Stuart is a co-author of the standard textbook that is used to teach AI at universities across the world. He has also written multiple books for general audiences, testifying to both his range and prolific body of work.

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Stuart is currently a Professor of Computer Science at UC Berkeley (where he is also Director of the Center for Human Compatible AI) and has been a renowned voice in the AI field for years. In his latest book — “Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control,” Stuart asserts that if we continue to design AI based on optimizing for fixed objectives (the standard approach), it will evolve in the context of superhuman AI to create disastrous consequences that unfold outside of our control.

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Thankfully, he proposes a new approach — derived from inverse reinforcement learning and designated “provably beneficial AI”— that just might save us from this fate. In this model, AI is designed to 1) optimize for human preferences yet 2) is inherently uncertain about those preferences and 3) deferential to human behavior in figuring those out, over time.

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So how do we get to a place where this model becomes the industry standard? Stuart walks us through the practical mechanics of standing this up. We’ll discuss the behavioral and collective challenges of identifying human preferences and steps that must first happen through research to change the industry foundation for building AI.

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We also couldn’t end the conversation without briefly touching on the opportunity to promote human thriving in a new paradigm for the future of work. Whether you’re a casual observer or have been working in the field for years, my guess is you will come away from this conversation with a better understanding of how we should — how we must — think about controlling systems with capabilities that exceed our own

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Links:

About Stuart: http://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~russell/

Human Compatible: AI & The Problem of Control: https://bit.ly/3n5ozvy

The King Midas Problem: https://bit.ly/3tHAlyM

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Show Notes:

3:15 - the economic potential of general purpose AI

7:50 - explanation of the standard AI model

12:40 - fixed objective failure in social media context

16:45 - introduction to provably beneficial AI

25:10 - understanding human preferences through behavior

37:15 - considering a normative framework for negotiating shared preferences

42:00 - standing up beneficial AI in practice

51:15 - mistakes made by regulators

53:25 - how to consider an “off switch” in the context of integrated systems

56:10 - maximizing human potential in future of work

My guest for Episode 2 is Mark Surman, the Executive Director of the Mozilla Foundation.

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Mozilla began in the late 90s with the mission of keeping the internet open and accessible for all. In recent years, Mozilla has taken up the mantle of what it describes as Trustworthy AI, which is a central theme of my conversation with Mark. Specifically, we address how decentralizing the control of our data (and its related potential) from the handful of top players is a key step for enabling a trustworthy AI ecosystem.

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We begin by discussing the parallels between breaking the data monopoly today and efforts in the late 90s to free the internet from single-browser control. We also break down examples of alternative approaches to data governance — such as data trusts and data collectives— that are in the works.

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I ask Mark to help us understand what we stand to gain: what it might look like to live in a world of AI that distributes the benefit of our data for us and for the public good? How does better data stewardship translate in terms of agency, opportunity and access in our digital world?

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Mark is a consummate expert and dedicated civil society leader, who brings depth to understanding these issues. His wealth of experience offers a rich context for the AI policy conversation…. by reminding us that although the challenges seem daunting there are many things that we can do, that we have done, and that much promising work is underway.

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For more about the show : https://indivisible.ai/

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To learn about the host: https://aaina.ai/

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Resources from Mozilla:

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Summary of Trustworthy AI : https://mzl.la/3a22mcw

Approaches to Alternative Data Governance: https://mzl.la/32aXcXf