You’re right. Here is a reply I left on a Reddit thread answering this question:
This institution will essentially be a formalization and scaling-up of a small group of futurists that already meet to discuss emerging technologies and similar subjects. Despite the fact that they’ve been doing this for years attendance is almost never more than ten people (25 attendees would be fucking woodstock).
I think the best way to begin would be to try and use this seed to create a TED-style hub of recurring discussions on exactly these topics. There’s a lot of low-hanging fruit to be picked in the service of this goal. For example I recently convinced the organizer for the futurist group to switch to a regular spot at the local library instead of the nigh-impossible-to-find hackerspace at which they were doing it before. I’ve also done things like buy pizza for everyone.
Once we get to where we have a nice, clean, well-lit venue and have at least 20 people regularly attending, I’d like to start reaching out to local businesses, writers, artists, and academics to have them give talks to the group. As it stands it probably wouldn’t be worth their time just to speak to 8 people.
TEDxMileHigh does something vaguely like this, but it isn’t as focused and only occurs once per year.
Once I get that lined out, I’d like the group’s first ‘product’ to be a near-comprehensive ‘talent audit’ for the Denver/Boulder region. If I had a billion dollars and wanted to invest it in the highest-impact companies and research groups I’d have no idea of where to get started. Here are some questions I’d like to answer:
What are the biggest research and investment initiatives currently happening? Is there more brainpower in nanotech or AI? In neurotech or SENS-type fields? AFAICT nobody knows. Who is doing the most investing? What kind of capital is there available from hedgefunds or angel investors? What sorts of bridges exist between academia, the private sector, think tanks, and investment firms? How can I strengthen them?
So we’ll start by aping TED and then try to figure out what kind of talent pool we have to work with. These two goals alone will surely require several years, and there’s more than one avenue to monetization (ticket sales; subscriptions to the talent audit)
Beyond this horizon things get fuzzier because it’s hard for me to say what direction the institute will take because I need to answer other questions first.
For example, I’m very interested in superintelligent AI and related ethical issues. I have even thought of a name for a group devoted to research in the field: ‘the Superintelligence Research Group’, S.I.R.G (pronounced ‘surge’).
But is there enough AI/mathematics/computation brainpower around to make such a venture worthwhile? I mean there’s more than one computing research group just in Boulder, but are they doing the kind of worked that could be geared toward SAI work?
If so maybe I’ll maneuver in that direction; if not, it would probably make more sense to focus on other things.
So that’s one possibility. Another is either providing consulting to investors wanting to work with companies in the front range, or angel investing in those companies myself.
But if I’m publishing a newsletter about investment opportunities in the Front Range would I even be allowed to personally invest in companies (i.e. is there any legal conflict of interest or whatever involved)? Would the decision to make the institute an LLC or a 501C3 impact future financial maneuvering?
So you have a short-term, concrete answer to your question and a long-term, speculative answer to your question.
You’re right. Here is a reply I left on a Reddit thread answering this question:
This institution will essentially be a formalization and scaling-up of a small group of futurists that already meet to discuss emerging technologies and similar subjects. Despite the fact that they’ve been doing this for years attendance is almost never more than ten people (25 attendees would be fucking woodstock).
I think the best way to begin would be to try and use this seed to create a TED-style hub of recurring discussions on exactly these topics. There’s a lot of low-hanging fruit to be picked in the service of this goal. For example I recently convinced the organizer for the futurist group to switch to a regular spot at the local library instead of the nigh-impossible-to-find hackerspace at which they were doing it before. I’ve also done things like buy pizza for everyone.
Once we get to where we have a nice, clean, well-lit venue and have at least 20 people regularly attending, I’d like to start reaching out to local businesses, writers, artists, and academics to have them give talks to the group. As it stands it probably wouldn’t be worth their time just to speak to 8 people.
TEDxMileHigh does something vaguely like this, but it isn’t as focused and only occurs once per year. Once I get that lined out, I’d like the group’s first ‘product’ to be a near-comprehensive ‘talent audit’ for the Denver/Boulder region. If I had a billion dollars and wanted to invest it in the highest-impact companies and research groups I’d have no idea of where to get started. Here are some questions I’d like to answer:
What are the biggest research and investment initiatives currently happening? Is there more brainpower in nanotech or AI? In neurotech or SENS-type fields? AFAICT nobody knows. Who is doing the most investing? What kind of capital is there available from hedgefunds or angel investors? What sorts of bridges exist between academia, the private sector, think tanks, and investment firms? How can I strengthen them?
So we’ll start by aping TED and then try to figure out what kind of talent pool we have to work with. These two goals alone will surely require several years, and there’s more than one avenue to monetization (ticket sales; subscriptions to the talent audit)
Beyond this horizon things get fuzzier because it’s hard for me to say what direction the institute will take because I need to answer other questions first. For example, I’m very interested in superintelligent AI and related ethical issues. I have even thought of a name for a group devoted to research in the field: ‘the Superintelligence Research Group’, S.I.R.G (pronounced ‘surge’).
But is there enough AI/mathematics/computation brainpower around to make such a venture worthwhile? I mean there’s more than one computing research group just in Boulder, but are they doing the kind of worked that could be geared toward SAI work?
If so maybe I’ll maneuver in that direction; if not, it would probably make more sense to focus on other things.
So that’s one possibility. Another is either providing consulting to investors wanting to work with companies in the front range, or angel investing in those companies myself.
But if I’m publishing a newsletter about investment opportunities in the Front Range would I even be allowed to personally invest in companies (i.e. is there any legal conflict of interest or whatever involved)? Would the decision to make the institute an LLC or a 501C3 impact future financial maneuvering?
So you have a short-term, concrete answer to your question and a long-term, speculative answer to your question.
Is there anything else you’d like to know?