Ep.18 - Kevin Kelly - Timeless Advice from One of Technology's Leading Minds

Kevin Kelly is one of the world's leading thinkers and writers on all things technology.

Since co-founding Wired Magazine in 1993, he has consistently been at the forefront in predicting and interpreting technology trends from the advent of the internet, to mobile telephony, to artificial intelligence. He has explored these themes in books like The Inevitable, Out of Control and What Technology Wants. He is also a connoisseur of all things Asian culture and chronicled his journeys through the region in a 3-volume opus titled Vanishing Asia.

In his latest book, Kevin has turned inward to compile 70+ years of life advice into a compact, highly readable, and incredibly enjoyable book titled Excellent Advice for Living, in which he shares bite-sized nuggets of wisdom covering the practical to the deeply philosophical.

In the conversation, Greg and Kevin start with the emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence technologies and then dive in deep on the many gems of life advice in Kevin's new book.

Episode segments:

(03:18) - Putting the latest AI developments (ChatGPT) into context

(11:44) - AI as a productivity and employment enhancer, not a job-replacer

(16:28) - Career advice in a world of Artificial Intelligence

(21:33) - The original title of Kevin's new book, and why being clear > being clever when writing

(26:56) - A "laying around the house" book

(31:30) - Being intentional about rituals and "rites of passage" for your kids

(40:25) - How others see who you are becoming before you do

(45:38) - Gratitude as the cheapest form of therapy

(48:23) - Choosing to believe that the universe is conspiring to help you

(54:05) - What Kevin might be wrong about in 100 years

(56:27) - One thing Kevin has learned in life that most others haven't yet

If you don't already follow Kevin on Twitter, you can find him @kevin2kelly and his latest book Excellent Advice for Living is available now for pre-order on Amazon.

Link to (very raw) transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/QDy8qK1AhD7

Don't forget to follow Greg on Twitter @gregorycampion and subscribe to his bi-weekly newsletter: https://gregcampion.substack.com

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