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The Tim Ferriss Show
#669: Kevin Kelly — Excellent Advice for Living
Apr 26, 2023
Kevin Kelly, co-chair of The Long Now Foundation and former editor of Wired magazine, shares invaluable insights from his new book, "Excellent Advice for Living." He delves into the power of optimism in achieving success, advocating proactive engagement in shaping the future. The conversation explores the impact of AI on creative fields, the importance of problem-solving through clear communication, and the transformative joy of creation. Listeners will also gain practical advice on nurturing personal growth and enhancing their well-being.
02:07:31
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Quick takeaways
- AI can augment artistic work by assisting in generating ideas and automating tasks, fostering collaboration between humans and AI in the creative process.
- Optimism and belief in progress are crucial for driving positive change and innovation in various fields.
- AI tools can empower human artists by providing inspiration and automation, allowing them to refine and enhance AI-generated content with their artistic judgment and creativity.
- AI has the potential to automate specific tasks within job roles, allowing humans to focus on higher-level tasks and enabling collaborative partnerships between humans and AI for enhanced productivity and creative outcomes.
Deep dives
AI and the Future of Job roles
AI has the potential to automate certain tasks within job roles, but it is unlikely to replace entire jobs or make human artists redundant. While AI can generate images and designs, human artists provide the creative direction and critical judgment necessary to curate and refine these creations. AI can be seen as an assistant or intern in the creative process, aiding artists in generating new possibilities and helping with tasks like concept generation. The collaboration between humans and AI can enhance and complement artistic work, leading to new levels of creativity and innovation.
Optimism and Progress
Optimism is essential for making progress and creating positive change. By envisioning a better future and believing in our ability to achieve it, we can overcome challenges and make improvements in various fields. History shows that progress is an ongoing process, driven by individuals who have the vision and optimism to pursue new ideas and technologies. While there may be obstacles and setbacks, the overall trajectory of progress is upward. Acknowledging the reality of progress and focusing on continuous improvement is key to fostering a more optimistic and innovative society.
Impact of AI on the Artistic Industry
AI has the potential to revolutionize the artistic industry, but it will not make human artists obsolete. AI tools can assist artists in generating ideas, providing inspiration, and automating certain tasks. Artists can use AI-generated content as a starting point for their work and then apply their artistic judgment, creativity, and unique perspective to refine and enhance it. AI can be seen as a collaborator, augmenting the artistic process and enabling artists to explore new possibilities. Rather than replacing human artists, AI has the potential to empower them and open up new avenues for artistic expression and creativity.
AI's Role in Task Automation
AI has the capability to automate specific tasks within different job roles, relieving humans of repetitive or time-consuming work. However, the impact of AI on employment is more about task automation than overall job replacement. Jobs may evolve and change as AI technology advances, but human involvement, creativity, and critical thinking will continue to be highly valued. AI's ability to automate certain tasks allows humans to focus on higher-level tasks, such as problem-solving, innovation, and collaboration. This collaborative partnership between humans and AI can lead to enhanced productivity, efficiency, and creative outcomes.
Embracing the Journey of AI
The potential of AI is continuously expanding, surprising us with its capabilities and constant advancement. It is important to recognize that AI systems are not monolithic, but rather differ in their abilities and strengths depending on the specific tasks they are designed for. Just like Wikipedia, AI functions in a bottom-up approach, being reliable yet having limitations. The future of AI is expected to offer various specialized systems tailored to different tasks, with a general AI being akin to a Swiss Army knife, versatile but not the best at any one specific task. Viewing AIs as artificial aliens can help us appreciate their unique cognitive approaches, encouraging us to think differently and generate innovative ideas. Moreover, as most AI systems work behind the scenes, it is a sign of success when they become boring and seamless, fully integrated into our daily lives. Consciousness is considered a liability in AI, as AI's aim to serve specific purposes and tasks, remaining conscious-free and obedient. In the next five to ten years, the AI landscape is predicted to continuously evolve, with a focus on tailored, specialized systems that work in conjunction with human intelligence.
Unlocking Personal Genius
Kevin Kelly emphasizes the importance of fully becoming one's authentic self. The goal in life should be to reach a point where, on the day before we die, we can reflect upon our journey and confidently state that we have fully embraced and expressed our true selves. This process involves discovering and unlocking our unique genius, the distinct blend of talents and passions that makes each individual one-of-a-kind. Technology, including AI, can serve as tools to help us express and amplify our genius. By expanding the pool of available tools and resources, we can enable individuals to tap into their full potential. Kelly believes in the power of providing clean water, education, and transportation, along with high-tech advancements, to empower people in their journey toward self-realization and personal fulfillment.
The Value of Sabbaticals
Taking sabbaticals is highly recommended by Kelly, as they offer essential periods of rest and rejuvenation. Through sabbaticals, individuals can escape the pressures of constant productivity and efficiency, embracing a rest ethic to balance their work ethic. Sabbaticals provide a chance to discover new perspectives, shift rhythms, and engage in activities that differ from our usual routines. Kelly suggests various ways to approach sabbaticals, such as traveling to new places, working on art projects, shadowing experts in different fields, reading extensively, or simply taking time off to relax. The key is to create experiences outside the norm, allowing for personal growth, learning, and self-discovery.
The Influence of AI Advice
The book 'Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier' by Kevin Kelly holds great value for readers. The inspiration to write this book came from Kelly's practice of condensing advice into concise phrases that could be easily remembered and applied. Each piece of advice aims to trigger a shift in behavior, helping readers reframe situations and make positive changes in their lives. The book covers a range of topics, from travel tips and productivity insights to profound life lessons. Kelly hopes that by sharing his wisdom and experiences, readers will find practical guidance, inspiration, and a stronger sense of direction in their lives.
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Kevin Kelly (@kevin2kelly) helped launch and edit Wired magazine. He has written for The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, among many other publications.
He is the author of the new book Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier. Other books by Kevin Kelly include Out of Control, the 1994 classic book on decentralized emergent systems; The Silver Cord, a graphic novel about robots and angels; What Technology Wants, a robust theory of technology; Vanishing Asia, his 50-year project to photograph the disappearing cultures of Asia, and The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future, a New York Times bestseller.
Kevin is currently co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, which is building a clock in a mountain that will tick for 10,000 years. He also has a daily blog; a weekly podcast about cool tools; and a weekly newsletter, Recomendo, a free, one-page list of six very brief recommendations of cool stuff. He is also a Senior Maverick at Wired. He lives in Pacifica, California.
Please enjoy!
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[05:51] Is Kevin Kelly the most interesting man in the world?
[08:37] Kevin’s long bet against the human population.
[15:00] Out Of Control.
[19:34] Why did it take 11 years to complete The Silver Cord?
[24:28] 1,000 True Fans.
[29:48] Kevin’s failed campaign to discover all the species of life on Earth.
[31:31] Stewart Brand.
[36:20] Ressurecting extinct species.
[39:38] Why Kevin believes optimists shape the future.
[42:48] Active optimism vs. passive optimism.
[46:39] What constitutes progress?
[48:18] Is regression inevitable if we don’t embrace “degrowth?”
[52:38] Kevin’s $20 time machine.
[55:27] Will AI take our jobs?
[1:07:58] The future of AI is dumbsmarten.
[1:10:50] What’s currently underhyped?
[1:13:20] Posting an AI picture a day keeps Kevin at play.
[1:15:29] How Kevin uses AI chatbots to help write first drafts.
[1:21:40] Potential scenarios for where AI will be going soon.
[1:24:38] What prompted Kevin to write Excellent Advice for Living?
[1:28:46] Examples of Kevin’s simple, tweetable advice.
[1:32:02] Don’t aim to be the best. Be the only.
[1:35:32] Good uses of time spent with one’s children.
[1:38:47] Tips for traveling with children.
[1:42:22] Being a tourist in your own town and troubleshooting advice.
[1:45:06] What Kevin hopes readers will take away from Excellent Advice for Living.
[1:46:37] Sabbaticals.
[1:52:17] How Kevin uses YouTube.
[1:56:03] Why is Kevin huge in China?
[1:59:16] Fully becoming yourself and other parting thoughts.
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For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.
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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.
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