Today, we have a special bonus episode: a discussion between Marc Andreessen, the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, and Anton Troynikov, founder of AI database company Chroma. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/zen.

This conversation originally took place on Twitter Spaces, where Anton and Marc talked about Marc's recent, provocative essay, Why AI Will Save The World. Marc explains why AI will not destroy the world but instead may save it. Towards the end of the discussion, Marc takes questions from a select audience of entrepreneurs and builders in AI. Given how much we've talked about AI and the various doomer debates on Moment of Zen, we felt that this conversation was too good to be missed. We're so thrilled that Marc, Anton, and a16z allowed us to republish it here. Both Marc and Anton have been on Moment of Zen before (see LINKS)

Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:39) Anton asks Marc why he wrote this essay now

(02:30) Recap of AI History over last 80 years

(04:05) Hysteria, paranoia, doomerism

(06:00) Intelligence is the fundamental building block

(09:47) Precautionary principle and nuclear technology debate

(13:52) Recommendation: a16z podcast

(14:43) Sponsor: Secureframe

(16:04) The AI Race

(18:00) China’s national strategic priority

(22:53) Cold War dynamics

(23:20) What should the government do?

(24:00) Analogy Period: 2nd Industrial Revolution

(33:51) AI hype cycle, speculation, investment

(38:38) Problems AI can solve

(50:00) Questions from audience members, including Beff Jezos + Amjad Masad

SPONSOR: Beehiiv | Shopify | Vanta | NetSuite | Secureframe

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months

Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/momentofzen

Vanta

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at https://www.vanta.com/zen

NetSuite ( http://netsuite.com/zen )

NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

Secureframe ( www.secureframe.com )

Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOMENT OF ZEN during your demo to get 20% off your first year.