Azeem Azhar's Exponential View

Using forests to offset a company’s carbon emissions has been dismissed as “greenwashing.” But Diego Saez Gil argues that a verifiable and transparent global market in carbon credits is a vital tool to mitigate climate change. In part 2 of their discussion, he joins Azeem Azhar to explore how his company, Pachama, uses technology to connect farmers and ecologists with climate-conscious corporations in an effort to evolve the global carbon marketplace. They also discuss: Why companies need offsets to achieve their climate goals. Why carbon offsets should be used only after emission-reducing changes have been maximized. How properly calibrated carbon pricing can incentivize climate-conscious economic activity. @dsaezgil @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “IKEA: Making a $40 Billion Company Climate Positive” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “The merits of a global carbon offset market” (Financial Times, 2020) “Do Carbon Offsets Really Work? It Depends on the Details” (Wired, 2020) “The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review” (HM Treasury, UK Government, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How do we build a market for carbon offsets that is both trustworthy and effective? Diego Saez Gil, co-founder and CEO of Pachama, believes he has the answer. In part 1 of the conversation, Diego joins Azeem Azhar to explore how AI, satellites, and LiDAR can be leveraged to verify the conservation efforts of farmers, NGOs, and governments and help lay the foundation for sustainable work against climate change. They also discuss: How the rapid cycles of a tech startup interact with the slower rhythms of forest ecology. Why the tropics should be the focus of forest regeneration efforts. Why the priority should be to achieve a “deep” carbon offset market, which is both a platform of exchange and an assurance of quality. @dsaezgil @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “How Data Helps Companies Honor Their Climate Goals” (Exponential View podcast, 2021) “As concerns rise over forest carbon offsets, Pachama’s verified offset marketplace gets $15 million” (TechCrunch, 2021) “Applying AI To Mitigate The Effects Of Climate Change” (Forbes, 2020) “The merits of a global carbon offset market” (Financial Times, 2020) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kenneth Cukier, senior editor at the Economist, and Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger, professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at the University of Oxford, argue that because AI systems have no causal model of the world, they lack the human capacity for imagination and decision-making. Azeem Azhar explores their contention that we should not rely on AI to provide solutions to our problems. Rather we should systematically challenge how we frame our problems in order to produce breakthrough insights and innovations — then use AI to help enact those solutions. They also discuss: How “reframing” old technologies unleashed advances for SpaceX, Apple, Spotify and others. How proper framing empowered New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to battle Covid-19 in her country. Why you should not think “outside the box,” but instead “switch boxes.” @kncukier @Viktor_MS @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “You Can Make Better Decisions by Placing Problems in a New Frame” (Bloomberg, 2021) “11 Myths About Decision-Making” (Harvard Business Review, 2021) “Beyond Deep Learning with Gary Marcus” (Exponential View podcast, 2019) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In less than a decade France has gone from tech backwater to the startup engine of the EU. It recently celebrated its 12th company to achieve a $1 billion valuation and is well on the way to President Macron’s goal of “25 unicorns by 2025.” Kat Borlongan, director of La French Tech, joins Azeem Azhar to explore how her government taskforce has been working to effectively drive growth in the French startup scene. They also discuss: Why achieving tech sovereignty has become a key motivator for governments. How France’s visa scheme is part of their offensive strategy to attract top tech talent. Why the French government is directly investing in startups via public investment bank Bpifrance. @katborlongan @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “Building Unicorns in Europe” (Exponential View podcast with Reshma Sohoni, 2019) “The State of European Tech 2020″ (Atomico, 2021) “Paris overtakes Berlin for tech start-ups after boost from Macron“ (Financial Times, 2019) “La French Tech ecosystem map“ (Interactive dashboard on France’s tech startups) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Turning a corporate climate pledge into reality is a complex endeavor. Watershed, a software startup co-founded by Christian Anderson, is committed to using data to cut corporate emissions fast. In conversation with Azeem Azhar, Christian shares the challenges of putting this dream into practice. They also discuss: The role of network effects in the net-zero transition. How Watershed’s data business compares to social media. Why carbon removal decisions in companies should reside within the CFO’s office. @chranderson @azeem @ExponentialView Further Reading “IKEA: Making a $40 billion company climate positive” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “How Measuring and Reducing Emissions Has Become Its Own Business” (Bloomberg, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Livestock is responsible for 15 percent of global greenhouse emissions. Could meat grown in labs offer a sustainable – and palatable – future? Didier Toubia, CEO and co-founder of cultured meat start-up Aleph Farms, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the biotech, ethics, and economics of making beef without cows. They also discuss: Why food security and public health are driving the development of alternative protein sources. Why cultivated meat may achieve price parity with normal beef within five years. How cultivated meat might integrate within the existing food supply chains. @AlephFarms @azeem @ExponentialView Further Reading: “How AI and Genomics Are Reshaping Farming” (Exponential View podcast with Mike Zelkind, 2020) “Israel is a fake meat powerhouse” (Wired, 2021) “Investing in a slice of the non-meat future” (Financial Times, 2021) “Edible insects and lab-grown meat are on the menu” (Economist, 2020) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AI is not just code and algorithms. It’s an industry built on a global network of resource extraction, human labor, and data collection. Kate Crawford, senior principal researcher at Microsoft Research and research professor of communication and science and technology studies at USC Annenberg, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the far-reaching impacts of AI and to consider the urgent case for proper governance and regulation of the industry. They also discuss: Why we need to observe hardware supply chains to understand AI’s impact. Why the AI industry, like aviation and pharma, should be subject to strict regulation. Why tech leaders should take a much greater responsibility for the social and environmental effects of technical systems. @katecrawford @azeem @ExponentialView Further Reading: “Anatomy of an AI System” (Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler, 2018) “AI, Accountability, and Power” (Exponential View with Mereditch Whitaker, 2019) “Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence” (Kate Crawford, Yale University Press 2021) “How AI is exploiting people and the planet” (New Scientist, 2021) “Time to regulate AI that interprets human emotions” (Nature, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

IonQ is the first company solely focused on quantum computing to go public, with its quantum computers accessible via the cloud today. The company’s co-founder/chief scientist Chris Monroe and president/CEO Peter Chapman join Azeem Azhar to explore how they turned cutting-edge research into a scalable product. They also discuss the engineering challenges that remain before quantum systems not only surpass the fastest supercomputers, but also become widely available. In addition, they address: Why IonQ, unlike Google and IBM, have bet on the “trapped ion” approach to building quantum computers. How major software innovation could move quantum computing forward. Why quantum computers excel at optimization problems involving more variables than classical computers can accommodate. @IonQ_Inc @azeem @ExponentialView Further Reading: “Building A Quantum Computer with Light” (Exponential View podcast featuring Jeremy O’Brien, 2021) “Quantum computing’s next trick? The power of networked clusters” (Peter Chapman in Wired, 2021) “Commercialising quantum computers” (The Economist, 2020) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Meltem Demirors, Chief Strategy Officer at CoinShares, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the potential and politics of cryptocurrencies: from the ideological origins of Bitcoin to the new wave of decentralized financial products that could disrupt traditional finance. They also discuss: Why the values of the Cypherpunk community are enshrined in Bitcoin’s design. How the Decentralized Finance movement is re-imagining existing products on blockchain networks. If Bitcoin will ever break out of its niche to become a widely used currency. @Melt_Dem @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “Is the financial establishment coming round to bitcoin?” (The Economist, 2021) “Get ready for self-driving banks” (Financial Times, 2021) “The Redecentralized Web” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “Politics, Power & Protocols” (Meltem Demirors, CoinShares 2019) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Atlassian, the enterprise software innovator, is helping to drive disruption across the world of work. Co-founder and co-CEO, Scott Farquhar, joins Azeem Azhar to explain how, during a global pandemic, they nearly doubled the size of their workforce, why the workplace will never be the same after Covid-19, and what the implications are for companies and employees who increasingly operate remotely, asynchronously, and in flatter hierarchies. They also discuss: Why Farquhar believes that most companies are becoming like software companies, where the CEO and CIO are in strategic lock-step and ready to disrupt their business before they are disrupted by competitors. Why companies are shifting their team structures from being project-based to product-based. Why Farquhar believes his approach to company-building is akin to gardening. @scottfarkas @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “Empowering Workers in the Digital Future” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “WFH Doesn’t Have to Dilute Your Corporate Culture” (Harvard Business Review, 2021) “Picking the Right Approach to Digital Collaboration” (MIT Sloan, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.