Infinite Loops

Ahead of the release of the next episode of his lecture series on René Girard, Johnathan Bi returns for his second appearance on the show. He and Jim discuss Girard, prestige, innovation, AI, and much more. Enjoy! Important Links: Johnathan's website Johnathan's Twitter Johnathan's lecture series with David Perell Our research note on Johnathan Johnathan's first appearance on the show Show Notes: The Girardian notion of prestige What proof is there for mimesis? The difference between mimesis and status signalling Philosophical critiques of Girard Girard on innovation Historical understandings of innovation A conversation between a pessimist and an optimist AI, progress and the panopticon Could we ban innovation? Books Mentioned: The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr The Alchemy of Finance; by George Soros The Laws of Imitation; by Gabriel Tarde When These Things Begin: Conversations with Michel Treguer; by René Girard The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch The Invention of Improvement: Information and Material Progress in Seventeenth-Century England; by Paul Slack Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future; by Peter Thiel

Rohit is a VC and essayist who writes fascinating, thought-provoking essays on complexity, progress, innovation and technology over at Strange Loop Canon. He joins the show for a second time to discuss the lessons learned from the FTX meltdown, why there isn't a philosophy of business, creating an AI picture book, and a whole lot more. Important Links: Rohit's Twitter Rohit's Substack Our research note on Rohit Show Notes: What can VCs learn from FTX? FTX, hubris and good manners "Don't let anyone push you into a decision that you don't want to make" Signing up to the right narratives Why you can't beat the market Why isn't there a philosophy of business? Markets, desire and innovation How AI allows us to talk to machines in our language The complexities of the AI sentience debate How AI unlocks new outlets for creativity The need for positive stories The three components of innovation "Curiosity is a shit starter" Finding new ways to create community Openness and experimentation MUCH more! Books Mentioned: What Works on Wall Street: A Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time; by Jim O'Shaughnessy The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism; by Howard Bloom Unflattening; by Nick Sousanis Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the 20th Century; by Brad DeLong American Gods; by Neil Gaiman Lessons: A Novel; by Ian McEwan

Julia is the co-founder of Rosetta Analytics Inc, "an alternative asset manager that is pioneering the use of advanced artificial intelligence to build and actively manage liquid investment strategies." Prior to co-founding Rosetta, Julia served as President of Wilshire Consulting and was a member of Wilshire's Board of Directors and Consulting Investment Committee. Julia joins the show to take a deep dive into deep reinforcement learning and Rosetta's pioneering work using AI as the basis of its investment strategies. Important Links: Rosetta Analytics Julia's LinkedIn Show Notes: Julia's journey from Wilshire to Rosetta Defining deep reinforcement learning AI and non-linear thinking Using adaptive models Overcoming the human need for 'why' Pitching deep reinforcement learning models to new investors Telling positive stories about AI; improving our discourse "Wake up and look for the joy"; "overcoming fear is the biggest barrier to success" Books Mentioned: What Works on Wall Street: A Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time; by Jim O'Shaughnessy The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy - What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny; by William Strauss and Neil Howe

Creator and curator Liberty RPF returns for his second appearance on Infinite Loops. He and Jim discuss the art of curation, the opportunities and risks of AI, the curse of creativity, the future of learning, and MUCH more!

Title: Description: Lulu Cheng Meservey is the Chief Communications Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Activision Blizzard. She joins Infinite Loops to provide us with a masterclass in communications for startups. A must-listen for current and aspiring founders. Important Links: • Lulu's Twitter • Lulu's Substack Show Notes: • Why people write hit pieces • The insurgency framework • How to access your audience's neural real estate • How to develop a spontaneous elevator pitch • Tips for becoming better at reading the room • Speak directly and take the hits • Defining business objectives • Learning from other industries • Personalising your message • Overcoming resistance to the unknown, what Christianity can teach us about comms • Escaping corporate jargon • How comms resembles rugby • Taking ownership of comms • Moving to a new model of comms • "Don't let things happen to you. Go and happen to things." Books Mentioned: • The Network State: How To Start a New Country; by Balaji S. Srinivasan • The Hero with a Thousand Faces; by Joseph Campbell

"With enough curiosity, self-confidence is irrelevant." Tinkered Thinking is a writer, artist, author and creator. He is also the worthy winner of our 'White Mirror' competition. His writing includes a series of 'Lucilius Parables', short stories dispersed throughout time and space designed to help readers reconceptualise their experience of being alive. He joined the show to discuss writing, technology, curiosity, optimism and MUCH more! Important Links: Website Twitter The Lucilius Parables, Volume I The Lucilius Parables, Volume II The Century of the Self: Happiness Machines - Adam Curtis Show Notes: The origin of Lucilius Why write short stories? Fear and human nature Technology, progress and optimism Where is the positive poetry of today? The momentum metric How to rebrand Guatemala White Mirror Choose your disposition The power of curiosity The question as a concept Hope grows foolish with no doing Books Mentioned: The Lucilius Parables, Volume I; by Tinkered Thinking The Lucilius Parables, Volume II; by Tinkered Thinking The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory; by Brian Greene The Fifth Science; by Exurb1a Foundation; by Isaac Asimov Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; by Bob Pirsig The Beginning of Infinity; by David Deutsch Language in Thought and Action; by S.I. Hayakawa Screw the Zoo: Escape From Your Cage, Free Your Mind, and Take Over the World; by Sam McRoberts Unflattening; by Nick Sousanis Atomic Habits; by James Clear The Power of Habit; by Charles Duhigg The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; by Douglas Adams The Egg; by Andy Weir The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James Awakening: Conversations with the Masters; by Anthony De Mello Spiritually Incorrect Enlightenment; by Jed McKenna

University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy, Edward Slingerland, discusses the paradox of effortless action, Chinese philosophy, benefits of alcohol, and more. Topics include wu-wei, flow, technology's impact, Confucianism, Daoism success, alcohol's evolutionary origins, psychedelics, honesty, and the importance of nature.

Jeremiah Lowin is the founder & CEO of Prefect, a dataflow automation company. Jeremiah joins Jim for his second appearance on Infinite Loops to discuss executing, storytelling, artificial intelligence and, of course, puns. Important Links: Prefect.io Disney Research Hub The story of the fake statue of Venus Show Notes: Slack, puns and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Planning, executing and the story of Prefect in 2022 Why naming things is a superpower If you can't pivot, you're dead Make original mistakes AI, storytelling, deep fakes and open source Books Mentioned: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; by Douglas Adams What Works on Wall Street; by Jim O'Shaughnessy The Beginning of Infinity; by David Deutsch

Herbert is a writer and editorial director who has been writing online since he was 15. He is the editor of 'The World According to Kanye' and has written for publications such as Forge, TIME and Quartz. Herbert joins the show to discuss his book 'Creative Doing: 75 Practical Exercises to Unblock Your Creative Potential in Your Work, Hobby, or Next Career', and to share some practical, actionable methods of harnessing the creative impulses that lie inside us all. Important Links: Herbert's Twitter Herbert's Website Creative Doing Show Notes: "Think less; do more" Adapting to social media "Don't make the bad the enemy of the good" "Doing is thinking" The strongest case for thinking over doing The role of the subconscious in the creative process The Madman and the Judge What initial steps can an aspiring creator take? Is there such a thing as natural creativity? "Quality is a word smart people use to procrastinate" Unifying the Madman and the Judge Why do societies try to crush creativity out of people? Why we are all creative Books Mentioned: Creative Doing: 75 Practical Exercises to Unblock Your Creative Potential in Your Work, Hobby, or Next Career; by Herbert Lui Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective; by Kenneth O. Stanley and Joel Lehman The Love Song of J. Alfred Profrock; by T.S. Eliot The I Ching Tao Te Ching; by Laozi Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; by Robert M. Pirsig

Emad Mostaque is the founder and CEO of Stability AI, the company behind Stable Diffusion. Emad joins Stability AI's recently announced Executive Chair of the board of directors Jim O'Shaughnessy to discuss the future of AI, the benefits of open source software, and much more. Important Links: Stability AI Stable Diffusion Launch Announcement Stability AI's Twitter Emad's Twitter Jim's announcement as Executive Chair Show Notes: The open vs closed AI debate How will open AI lead to better outcomes for AI safety? How will AI allow us to to solve previously unsolvable problems? How AI can transform education AI and storytelling What is 'clean' data? Can AI technology increase IQs across the entire world? The future: optimism, pessimism, jobs, AI alignment and the panopticon Why closed AI is a bad business model Anticipating and defending against future problems What two ideas would you like to give everyone in the world? Books Mentioned: The WEIRDest People in the World; by Joseph Henrich