Aeon in Motion
The theme of this issue is Resonance. Starting a new organization is full of rigmarole—much of which involves sitting at a desk, alone, moving bits and bytes. But each week, when we connect with luminaries across science, technology, policy, philanthropy, and investment, we hear feedback that energizes us. Recently, we realized two things: first, that the responses we get are overwhelmingly positive—and second, how much motivation and dopamine those responses give us. We also realized that we haven’t been sharing this energy with our broader community. So, going forward, we’ll be passing along the excitement we hear from those we speak with.
So, without further ado, here are some things we "heard on the street" about the Project:
- “I love the idea. Basic science is a creative act; it’s wonder-based! Science has become too monetized and short-termist.” — Senior Physicist and policy advocate
- “This is an awesome effort… it could really change a researcher's life by giving them time to think deeply.” — Entrepreneur and former Professor of Computer Science
- "If you can take a view of which fields are particularly exposed to short-termism and over-objectification, that's worth doing in my view. Those will also be the fields that are more likely to lead to commercialized products in a ten to twenty year time period." — Professor of Mathematics and policy advocate
PS: We'd love for you to check out our new website, located here. Let us know what you think!
From the Roundtable
This week’s Roundtable focused on accelerating outreach to potential distinguished sponsors and early supporters. We discussed the challenge of crafting outreach that is:
- Specific enough to attract someone’s attention without having to guess exactly what will resonate;
- Tangible enough for people to understand what they’re signing up for, without making it sound overly time or labor-intensive; and
- Clear about what we’re offering in exchange—whether it’s being part of something exciting, doing a favor for a friend via warm intros, or the potential for a formal role down the line.
We noted that while some people will want to support Aeon only when it is fully established, others will be excited to shape it at this earliest stage. For these early adopters, we're developing a set of targeted hooks (engagement pathways) designed to help them understand how they might best contribute to Project Aeon. These include specific asks, such as joining our community of practice, warm introductions to people they know, and strategic advice on certain design principles.
Finally, we discussed the importance of asking “Who do you know who could help advance this?” We're looking to our community (that means you!) for introductions to anyone who is passionate about advancing the cause of scientific freedom (i.e., long-term + open-ended exploratory science).
The Idea Garden
How UK Biobank Was Built - by Santi Ruiz - Statecraft
If forced to choose just one thing, the biggest differentiator of Project Aeon might be our attempt to support technologies over a long time horizon—three times longer, for example, than the average venture capital investor. To some, this can seem Pollyanna-ish. But, thankfully, we are not the only ones who see value in long-term initiatives: this interview, covering the UK Biobank, shows the immense value that can be created if one looks out to the far horizon when imagining what is possible.
The Dangers of Deferring to AI: It Seems So Right Even When It's Wrong | Working Knowledge
Artificial intelligence is here to stay, and is already supporting the work of scientists worldwide. Much has been written about the explicit benefits and dangers of this form of support. But this article points to a hidden danger: regardless of AI support, human beings remain fallible and subject to bias—in this case, to the siren song of a well-narrated, cohesive argument, even when it lacks evidence and credibility.
Appropriability and the timing of innovation: Evidence from MIT inventions | NBER
As usual, we include one academic paper: this one helping to add definition to what is called the Appropriability Problem. The mental model that "any worthwhile technology will make it to market" (guided by Smith's famous Invisible Hand) is commonly held... but lazy. It turns out that many other factors are at play when it comes to the decision whether to bring a technology to market or to leave it lying on the shelf. History is replete with examples of technologies that sat on the shelf for years—even decades.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb on Scaling LLMs and Why It Won’t Lead to AGI
Love him or hate him, Nassim Taleb is undoubtedly a loud-but-influential thinker when it comes to the commercial use of mathematics, and statistics lies at the core of the way the "new" artificial intelligences work. As you can see in this short post, he remains unconvinced that superintelligences will emerge from the current AI architecture. The debate wages on.