Exponential Wisdom

Peter and Dan discuss one of the undeniable human needs -- shelter and a sense of safety -- and how the real estate and property ownership industry will transform in the next decade as exponential technologies disrupt the “middleman.”   In this episode: Peter describes technologies changing the real estate game, including aerial ridesharing and transportation-as-a-service, VR office headquarters, and 3D-printing personalized houses in days. Dan mentions that humans will always crave a sense of “home,” a place where you want to relax, and how virtual houses won’t be able to replicate this feeling. Peter described the process of buying a new house and why “Smart Houses” connected to the IoT, imbuing the house with intelligence and making it responsive, will change the way we interact.

Dan and Peter discuss a common theme in theme in Silicon Valley — namely, that most people have no idea how quickly things are changing. The world is accelerating for a multitude of reasons, and the rate of acceleration is itself accelerating. In Peter’s words, this means, “We’re headed towards an amazing adventure in the next few decades.” In this episode: Peter and Dan discuss the accelerating technologies and innovation happening in China, and reasons why this is happening now. Dan discusses his book “My Plan for Living to 156” and why an innovation mindset is critical not only for entrepreneurs, but for life extension. Peter discusses a realization he had watching his kids play: experience matters. The way something is packaged, and the process getting to the final payoff, are critical in product design.

Peter and Dan discuss a mindset that is missing from most technologists: one of gratitude and appreciation for past generations’ accomplishments in a non-technological age. These breakthroughs have enabled today’s entrepreneurs to take advantage of exponential technologies.   In this episode: Dan reflects on the topic of proactive gratitude. How do you get a sense of appreciation for an experience in a world where everything is continuously provided for you, at low cost, fast and easy… especially when you don’t have to do anything to earn or deserve this efficiency? Peter shares his gratitude that we have the ability to even discuss solving world problems. Before, only governments or heads of state could have these discussions. Today, anyone can ‘call their own shot’ at global impact. Peter and Dan discuss shifting their mindset from expectation to appreciation and gratitude. They reflect on travel technology and how people complain about a short 45-minute flight delay. If put into perspective, the same trip 100 years ago would have taken months, with the potential of death.

Storytelling is universal, and there will always be room in entertainment for a great storyteller. In this episode, Peter and Dan examine the entertainment industry, and specifically how the 6 D’s of Exponentials can be used to see where the entertainment industry will go next.   In this episode: Peter and Dan discuss entertainment business models and why there is massive opportunity in the area of how money is made. Dan discusses the evolution of moviemaking, from the early Hollywood studio days to Netflix spending more money on original content than all studios combined today. Peter articulates a future where AI is creating personalized content that is specific to each person, and why he believes the entertainment world is heading towards virtual worlds.

Peter and Dan discuss the disintermediation of the insurance industry, and specifically how AI will disrupt the middleman in all industries.     In this episode: Peter and Dan talk about using technology to gather and evaluate increasingly more data. When will tech companies who know the most about you enter the insurance industry? Peter gives his view of the future of health insurance, where big data is so personalized that you will only pay for your exact needs instead of covering the masses. Peter and Dan discuss a range of ideas: what happens to life insurance when you live 30 extra years? What becomes of auto insurance when autonomous cars don’t have accidents?

Peter and Dan discuss an exciting new experience using virtual reality technology to attend live presentations anywhere in the world. Peter also describes his experience after a 90-minute VR presentation, taking off his headset and snapping back into the real world at the XPRIZE office.   In this episode: Peter tells the story of meeting High Fidelity founder Philip Rosedale in a virtual world with a live audience of 200 people watching as he gave a talk on exponential technology. Peter describes the moment seeing his digital avatar and the VR space created with a replica of SpaceShip One in the Mojave desert behind the stage. To see the video of Peter’s VR experience, click here: https://youtu.be/JugTHzUq4FE
 Dan talks about his idea that as technology goes global, everything else stays local -- and how this might affect your business model.

Dan explains why entrepreneurs struggle with procrastination and introduces a new method he uses to implement new ideas. Changing the thought process from “how to do this” to “who can do this” is a game-changer. In this episode: Peter explains using the “Who, Not How” method in his company, and why instead of creating a to-do list, he spends the year creating Impact Filters (a Strategic Coach client tool) explaining why the project is important, defining criteria for success, and then picking a point person to implement the task. Dan explains why first-time entrepreneurs start with how — because at the beginning, there’s no one else to delegate to — but as time goes on and the company grows, this becomes a bad habit. Peter gives an example of gaining back hundreds of hours of time, an Abundance of time, by delegating a project to his summer interns.

Peter and Dan discuss Google Duplex, an AI system capable of conducting natural conversations to carry out “real world” tasks over the phone. The technology is directed towards completing specific tasks, such as scheduling certain types of appointments and makes the conversational experience as natural as possible, allowing people to speak normally -- like they would to another person -- without having to adapt to a machine. In this episode: Peter talks about the Turing test, developed by Alan Turing in 1950, as a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human, and why he believes Google Duplex has conquered this feat. Read the Google blog here. Dan and Peter discuss the implications of technology like this, when AI’s master realistic voice-synthesizing, and the societal and legal ramifications. Will AI’s be required to self-identify by law? Should they? Peter describes a future where AI’s impact the education industry and believes we are less than 5 years away from this disruption.

Peter and Dan discuss a recent trip to Vatican City, where the XPRIZE Vision Circle & Innovation Board members met on the annual Adventure Trip to discuss longevity and regenerative medicine, piggybacking on the United to Cure conference hosted by the Pope. In this episode: Peter discusses his opening remarks at the conference with fellow panelists George Church (one of the creators of gene-editing CRISPR technology), Martine Rothblatt (CEO of United Therapeutics, whose goal is to regenerate human organs), and Lou Reese and Mei Mei Hu (co-CEOs of United Neuroscience, focused on creating vaccines against Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s disease). Dan brings up three keys to longevity: 1) Friends who are progressing, not declining, 2) Enough resources and income to be independent, and 3) Having a purpose, so you look forward to a future that is much greater than the past. Peter and Dan discuss how morality has evolved over time, and how some ideas that were once considered immoral are now considered miracles.

Peter and Dan discuss a powerful use of the Blockchain: a basis for exponentially expanding trust among individuals within a global society. This could help the millions of people born without national documentation, who are stuck in no man’s land without an official identity.   In this episode: Dan and Peter discuss a fundamental new political idea in which individuals would have self-sovereignty, and why the blockchain is the best place to securely store identification. Peter describes reinventing democracy: a future where you can choose what sovereign association of individuals to be part of. In this digital existence, the individual decides how to spend time, income and even political votes. Peter outlines a few industries that will be completely disrupted -- like real estate, the financial industry and politics -- when you cut out the middleman.