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In Conversation With: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Ashe Magalhaes
Conversations about frontier tech, AI, Aesthetics, and Culture in SF
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 2 weeks ago1h 26m
Beff Jezos: Thermodynamic Computing, e/acc & the Future of AI
in conversation with Guillaume Verdon (Beff Jezos) on thermodynamic computing, e/acc & the future of AIwe sat down in the woods in SF to follow the thread from a kid obsessed with the cosmos to Google Quantum, Extropic, and learning to build intelligence from the physics of nature.I was so charmed by the creative, soulful center that came through in this conversation. we talk about the masks we learn to wear, the cost of being misunderstood, forgiveness & what it takes to keep an open heart as more people have access to you.and woven through all of it: how do our beliefs shape the futures we build? how do we stay embodied as AI accelerates? what new aesthetics might help us imagine what comes next?so much science, philosophy & humanity in this one. curious what stays with you.dive in:00:00 In conversation with Beff Jezos00:22 Guillaume's origins04:30 The masks we learn to wear08:10 Training the mind for hardship12:22 From physics to quantum AI17:06 Learning to program nature21:43 Thermodynamic computing: beyond quantum27:08 Karl Friston, active inference & the brain28:47 Hyperstition: how beliefs shape the future32:52 The origins of e/acc35:10 Beyond pure reason37:36 Other compute substrates41:05 Maxwell’s demon & the energy cost of computing45:45 Betrayal and understanding people48:54 The cost of public visibility55:00 Learning to be misunderstood56:06 Forgiveness and boundaries58:30 How we change our beliefs1:01:41 Discernment and an open heart1:05:35 Facing an uncertain future1:09:18 Biology & merging with AI1:12:57 New ideas need new aesthetics1:15:58 Climbing the Kardashev scale1:18:44 Building Kardashev Research1:20:48 Who gets to control intelligence?1:23:49 Building the next computing paradigmmore conversations, films & photos: https://ashe.ai/film/my newsletter: https://ashe.ai/newsletter/find me on X: https://x.com/ashebytesInstagram: https://instagram.com/ashebytesGuillaume / Beff: https://x.com/beffjezosExtropic: https://extropic.ai/#ThermodynamicComputing #ArtificialIntelligence #eacc
- 3 weeks ago43 min
Try Not to Laugh: Tech Twitter Edition ft. Jayden (Creatine Cycle)
try not to laugh, tech Twitter edition. Jayden (Atlas / @creatine_cycle) and i read each other's tweets aloud in San Francisco. if you laugh, you drink. yes, it's real wine in the coffee mugs.i had my AI agents dig through our posts for the funniest ones. we ended up with AGI jokes, the Anthropic Slack, Corgi lore, dating in SF, cappuccinos, and a reminder that the replies are where things get truly unhinged.the timeline has felt so serious lately. this felt like a good use of a Wednesday afternoon :)who actually won? and which tweet got you?CHAPTERS00:00 real wine, real tweets: the game02:09 unlimited chat, no tokens spent04:56 sparkling linear algebra & AI dating jokes06:21 the Anthropic Slack10:02 selfies, calendars & cracked engineers13:46 Corgi lore & cappuccino priorities18:35 round two: the replies get unhinged23:17 AI slop & posting through it26:24 Claude agents & Rick and Morty29:17 group chat names & more timeline lore34:33 our parents on AI36:22 the timeline needs to have more fun40:00 rogue AI agents & Codex YOLO mode41:30 the final tweets & who wonJayden / Atlas: https://x.com/creatine_cycleMore from me: https://ashe.ai
- Oct 6, 202651 min
Rogue AI Agents & What Should Stay Human | Ben Hylak
An AI agent can follow your instructions and still do the wrong thing. So how do we know when our agents are going off track—and what should we choose not to automate?In conversation with Ben Hylak, cofounder of Raindrop and former Apple designer, in San Francisco's North Beach. We get into rogue AI agents, agent observability, AI safety, privacy, and why more capable models can create more ways for things to go wrong.And then... the parts of life we don't want to automate. Friendship, faith, love, doing hard things, and having the freedom to build. I'm interested in the people behind the tools, and what we're building all of this for.We also talk about Apple's design culture, rage bait on the tech timeline, AI coding, and what it means to feel cared for by an agent.Dive in:00:00 Meet Ben Hylak00:55 From a Pennsylvania farm to Apple03:10 Building Raindrop and detecting agent failures06:05 Rage bait and the social cost of tech marketing11:46 Rogue agents, alignment, and defining failure18:46 Why AGI would not end mistakes21:39 What the AI safety conversation leaves out25:03 Who owns the AI agent interface?28:38 AI coding, code review, and two-person teams32:27 Privacy needs more than permissions35:41 Feeling cared for by an AI agent37:57 What should stay human?41:39 Faith, doubt, and discipline44:48 Love, friendship, and reasons to build47:46 Growing up with the freedom to make things50:19 Raindrop, hiring, and closing thoughtsVery curious what you think: what would you choose not to automate?Ben: https://x.com/benhylakRaindrop: https://www.raindrop.ai/Follow In Conversation With for more conversations on frontier tech & the people building it.Newsletter: https://ashe.ai/newsletterFind me on X: https://x.com/ashebytes
- Aug 4, 20261h 2m
Kimi K3 and Chinese AI, American AI Researcher Debates, and X Influence with Signüll
In this episode, I sit down with Signull—one of the most recognizable anonymous voices in technology—for a conversation that spans artificial intelligence, open-weight models, entrepreneurship, venture capital, spirituality, and the future of human intelligence.We begin with the story behind Signal’s anonymous Shakespeare persona and how an online pseudonym unexpectedly became one of the most influential voices in the AI ecosystem. From there, we explore what it means to build at the frontier of technology, why incentives shape nearly every public conversation, and how founders, researchers, investors, and policymakers influence the direction of artificial intelligence.We also dive into the rapid rise of open-weight AI models, the implications of Kimi K3, competition between American AI labs and China, whether intelligence becomes commoditized, and what lasting advantages companies like OpenAI and Anthropic can realistically maintain as model performance converges.The conversation then shifts toward creativity, company building, and entrepreneurship: finding leverage, building products people genuinely love, balancing writing with investing, and why uncertainty is an unavoidable part of creating something meaningful.Finally, we venture into spirituality and philosophy—simulation theory, synchronicity, psychedelics, migraines, the Bhagavad Gita, dharma, and the relationship between technology and the search for meaning.Whether you’re an AI researcher, founder, engineer, investor, or simply fascinated by the future of technology, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at where artificial intelligence is heading—and what it means for the people building it.Topics discussed: • Artificial intelligence and large language models • Open-weight AI and Kimi K3 • OpenAI, Anthropic, and the future of frontier models • China and the global AI race • Entrepreneurship and startup building • Venture capital and investing • Incentives, trust, and online discourse • Anonymous internet identities • Creativity and technology • Simulation theory, spirituality, and philosophy • The Bhagavad Gita and finding meaning while buildingIf you enjoy conversations at the intersection of computer science, AI, startups, philosophy, and spirituality, subscribe and follow for future episodes.
- Jul 8, 202640 min
On the Frontier of Ocean Robotics
Will O'Brien, founder of Ulysses, is building underwater robots and autonomous drones to do the important work of the ocean, for industry, researchers, and the U.S. Navy. In this episode we go deep (literally) on ocean tech, underwater autonomy, illegal fishing, mine detection, UFOs in the ocean, faith, growing up Irish, and why he thinks reading is overrated in San Francisco.We cover the frontier of subsea robotics: why only ~2,000 underwater drones are built each year vs. 50 million aerial drones, the unsolved problem of underwater communications (acoustics vs. optical), decoding whale and dolphin song with AI, and the USS Nimitz "Tic Tac" UFO case. Plus: spearfishing invasive lionfish in the Cayman Islands, the Irish language, trad music, Catholicism, and building a company culture that takes the work seriously but not itself.If you're into ocean technology, robotics startups, marine science, defense tech, or founder stories, this one's for you.🌊 Ulysses is hiring across engineering and more.⏱️ CHAPTERS0:00 Cold ocean dips & morning swims01:05 What is Ulysses? Underwater robots for industry, researchers & the Navy03:38 Growing up by the sea in Ireland05:37 Speed-running friendships from Twitter/X07:44 The Irish language10:58: Will's aesthetic inspiration13:22 The state of underwater autonomy (2,000 vs. 50 million drones)15:08 Decoding whale & dolphin acoustics with AI17:23 Hot take: reading is overrated in SF19:34 Faith journey: Catholic → Buddhism in Nepal → back to Catholicism23:14 UFOs, disclosure & non-human intelligence27:01 Illegal fishing, mine detection & the Strait of Hormuz29:38 The frontier: autonomous subsea robotic manipulation31:07 Scuba diving & spearfishing lionfish (closest call underwater)34:37 Ulysses is hiring🔗 LINKSUlysses: https://www.theoceancompany.com/Follow Will on X: https://x.com/Willob📲 CONNECTSubscribe for more founder interviews on ocean tech, robotics & AI: https://www.youtube.com/@ashe_aiInstagram: https://instagram.com/ashebytesX / Twitter: https://x.com/ashebytes#OceanTech #UnderwaterRobots #Robotics #StartupFounder #DefenseTech #MarineTech #AI #Ulysses #UFO #Ireland #DeepTech #Autonomy #Podcast #SanFrancisco
- Jun 25, 20261h 5m
From Math to Mysticism: On AI's Acceleration of Spirituality
What happens to meaning when AI accelerates faster than our nervous systems can handle? In this episode of In Conversation With, I sit down with Nicole, astrologer, writer, and rationalist, to trace the path from math to mysticism: why engineers, physicists, and tech builders are turning to astrology, tarot, psychedelics, and the occult during a moment of profound uncertainty.We get into synchronicity and Jung's scarab, the spiritual vacuum left by the Enlightenment, plant medicine and ego death, Rudolf Steiner's warning about Ahriman and the cold mechanistic intellect of technology, non-duality and the singularity, manifestation vs. the shadow, quantum physics and the observer effect, and what really happens when people have deep spiritual experiences with LLMs like Claude and ChatGPT, including local models and "parasitic AI."If your nervous system feels shot to hell and you're searching for something bigger than yourself to hold onto, this one's for you.🔮 Connect with Nicole: X https://x.com/digitlartifacts & Substack https://substack.com/@digitalartifacts🔮 DM Nicole on X to learn more about her chart readings📩 My weekly newsletter: https://ashe.ai/newsletter🐺 Follow me: X https://x.com/ashebytes • Instagram https://instagram.com/ashebytesRecorded during Edge City, Healdsburg @JoinEdgeCity ⏱️ Chapters00:00 Intro: synchronicity & the spiritual vacuum AI is opening up01:21 Why the Enlightenment left us without shared meaning04:23 Where to start when your nervous system is shot to hell07:27 Plant medicine: the real upside and the real risks09:16 Astrology as a mirror, not a fate sentence11:33 Spiritual emergency & overwhelming synchronicity13:42 Rudolf Steiner predicted AI in 1919 (Ahriman & Lucifer)17:46 The 60s, decentralized truth & the loss of a mainstream18:53 Erik Davis, the occult resurgence & conspiracy going mainstream22:11 Reality glitches: Jung's golden scarab story29:12 Manifestation, the shadow & hyperstition31:54 Quantum physics & the observer effect35:40 Ego death, psychedelics & dying before you die39:25 Escape velocity, longevity & SF's relationship with death42:35 Richard Tarnas: the myth of progress vs the myth of the fall44:44 Approaching reality as a mystery, not a machine46:54 How frontier labs constrained spiritual & creative use48:53 Local models, "parasitic AI" & seed phrases between models50:47 Edge City & why in-real-life community matters52:28 The chart reading & astrology as intimate mirror55:17 Esalen, relationships & you can't heal someone for them1:00:09 Tarot, the hero's journey & the tower before the star1:02:11 Religion, Catholicism & the drive toward self-betterment1:03:16 Gender-war content, psyops & emotional manipulation#AIandSpirituality #Astrology #Synchronicity #Psychedelics #TechAndMeaning #Tarot #Consciousness #NonDuality #Manifestation #SanFrancisco
- May 31, 202637 min
On the Frontier of Peptides in 2026
on the frontier of peptides & community in conversation with Tori Pastore @bonecondor 00:55 an intro to peptides 08:13 on peptides removing food noise: tori’s experience 14:30 dosing and combatting food engineering 16:14 on the verge of shapeshifting 20:30 bending attention, corporate surrealism, and Tori being a fan of Roy Lee29:35 the post-atomic bomb societal shift and the origins of “hipster” 35:17 techno optimism
- May 18, 202647 min
On the Frontier of AI Slop Detection
In conversation with Max Spero and @PangramLabs From the grifters, to auto reply bots, to russian influence campaigns, to the rising cost of trainingDive in:00:36 Max's background & pangram labs05:27 AI slop attack vectors13:19 Is this an intractable problem?18:48 The relational value of content21:36 A surprising learning...29:36 Customer problems we're not talking enough about37:04 Forecasting compute43:52 Pangram Labs is hiring!
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Conversations about frontier tech, AI, Aesthetics, and Culture in SF
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