Strands of Genius: Glass Houses, Why Tech Billionaires Need To Grow Up, A Black AI Engineer Reckons With How AI Sees Black Men
Guest curated by Madeline Ashby, Novelist & Futurist
Each year we aim to highlight 50 creative thinkers that have inspired us by giving them the opportunity to guest curate this newsletter, Strands of Genius. This edition is guest curated by Madeline Ashby, Novelist & Futurist.
:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, MADELINE ASHBY ::
LOCATION: Toronto, Canada
Hi! My name is Madeline Ashby, and I followed Faris for a long time online before I ever got to talk to him directly. I did so for a piece for WIRED called “The Future of Hollywood Belongs to Humans, Not Machines,” and we talked for over an hour. I could have done a whole piece out of just that interview, I swear. He illuminated so many things for me that I'd always sort of thought about, but didn't have the right terminology or historical context for. I hope I get to interview him again soon!
Editor’s Note (Genius Steals): As many of you probably know Madeline Ashby is a celebrated novelist and futurist who is known for her insightful explorations of technology, society, and the future. Her novels, including the recently released Glass Houses, combine speculative fiction with sharp social commentary, making her a unique voice in the world of science fiction and futurism. With a deep understanding of the implications of emerging technologies, Madeline’s writing challenges us to think critically about the future we’re creating. Faris was delighted when she connected with him over an excellent article she was writing about the futures of entertainment. Was so fun, and thanks for the very kind words. Thank you so much for being here today with us Madeline!
:: THE LINKS ::
GLASS HOUSES
An Excerpt from My New Novel, GLASS HOUSES: The principals of a recently-acquired startup go on a trip to celebrate, when their plane is forced to make an emergency landing on a remote island populated solely by a huge black glass cube. At first it's very hard to get in. And then, it's even harder to get out. (Tor Forge Blog)
WHY TECH BILLIONAIRES NEED TO GROW UP
I love Charlie. For one, he's ferociously intelligent and imaginative. He's the kind of writer economists go to when they want to find out about the future of debt in deep space. (No, really.) For two, he happily kicks the tires for me on new laptops. He's endlessly generous, a community builder, and throws great WorldVision parties. And he also has absolutely no patience for people who use science fiction, our shared genre, as a justification for their authoritarian fantasies. Charlie is the guy who throws the first Nazi out of the bar so it doesn't become a Nazi bar. (Scientific America)
A BLACK AI ENGINEER RECKONS WITH HOW AI SEES BLACK MEN
First, The Walrus is a Canadian magazine that people outside Canada will have no trouble enjoying. Second, I'm genuinely surprised not to have seen more pieces like this over the years. This is written about a Black engineer wrestling with the second- and third-order impacts of the technology he spent years developing, on men who look just like him. I know there are more stories like this out there, in part because I've heard them -- once after participating on a panel about AI in Europe, I was approached by a woman who told me that, after hearing me speak, she had finally decided to leave her job. (On the same trip, but at a different event, a woman who looked just like Sophia Loren wearing vintage Pucci and dating a man a third her age detailed for me how the people in her city were being killed over sand. Apparently I have one of those faces.) (The Walrus)
Looking for more from Madeline? Coming Friday, look for an interview from her in your inbox!
:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::
:: Game :: Asshole, AKA President.
:: City :: Los Angeles, where I was born. Although technically, my favorite part is Burbank, which is its own city with its own government.
:: Book :: The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje. It made me a history major, and that changed everything for me. It also does everything I have a really tough time doing in my own work.
:: Podcast :: The one I used to do with Scott Smith!
[EDITOR’s NOTE: I think this refers to HOW TO FUTURE which is now a book (published by Kogan Page, the same publisher for Paid Attention.) Here is a podcast about it: How To Future.)
:: Song :: Right now? “Graham's Theme” by Michael Rubini, from the MANHUNTER soundtrack.
:: RESILIENCE ::
Thank you for reading!
If you'd like to keep up with me, I'm on BlueSky most often, and I have a mailing list here called Overt Intelligence.
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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.
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