Sana AI conference inspo bits

1. Start with a Structural Analogy

Identify a complex system in one domain (LLMs in language) and map it to a well-understood system in another (index funds in finance). Ensure the analogy is not superficial—seek systemic parallels in behavior, incentives, and emergent dynamics.

2. Establish Historical Precedent

Introduce a real-world, data-backed p... See more

This ethic carries over into Cowen’s analogy of AI as a creature to be trained. Not commanded, trained. Like a dog. Or perhaps more precisely, like a horse: intelligent, responsive, but fundamentally other. The human role is not to dominate but to guide, to shape through repetition, observation, and subtle correction. This, Cowen implies, is the ne... See more

EMBEDDED: Do you believe that the “artificial general intelligence” and “superintelligence” that many AI boosters have warned of actually pose a risk to humanity?

DEREK THOMPSON: Yes. But I don’t know how strongly I believe what I believe about AI. I find the whole thing to be very confusing and impossible to have very strong opinions about.

What I’m getting at: you wouldn’t believe anyone telling you that books are bad, so why believe people telling you that the internet is bad? Furthermore, even if the diagnosis is correct and the internet is a dark and terrible place, it is still not a prescription. To paraphrase David Graeber: “The ultimate, hidden truth of the internet is that it ... See more

So growing up it seemed quite imaginable that in 20 years there would be no independent bookstores left, which is why “experts” in outlets like The New York Times were predicting calamity.

And yet, by 2016, TIME was publishing pieces with titles like “The Death of the Bookstore Was Greatly Exaggerated.”

... independent bookstores are actually really

... See more