Authentic Intelligence becomes Social 2.0
The end of AI and the future of Social Networking
It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me here. Be prepared to start gearing from me on a more regular basis, about something so much more interesting…
In this come-back piece, I cover:
Why I am sunsetting Authentic Intelligence.
What is Social 2.0 ?
What to expect (topics, etc)
Teaser for first essay
The Nostr Booth
Sunsetting Authentic Intelligence.
Why? Because it’s no longer relevant. I was initially quite interested, but after having done my 5000hrs, I realised that it’s not so special - at least no more special than the general undercurrent of technological progress.
AI, which should be called IA (Intelligence Amplification) is neither intelligent, nor will it ever be sentient. Intelligence is too hard to fathom, let alone produce via circuits and code.
That doesn’t mean technologies that fall under the banner of “AI,” whether machine learning or LLMs, are not useful. Not at all. They can be very useful. I’m just not personally interested, and the more I’ve used these tools, the more I’ve come to believe they are not really standalone “products” like what Uber or Amazon are, but more background tools, which are used as a part of products, similar to say spreadsheets or a new programming language.
Useful? Yes.
Interesting? Sure - to some..
But interesting to me? No longer.
This is why earlier in the year, we open sources all the work we did on The Spirit of Satoshi Bitcoin LLM, and ceased all new work on the project. It’s available for anyone to use and download themselves, and for those who are genuinely interested, I hope they pick it up and continue the work.
For me personally, and my team, as builders - we wanted to actually BUILD a product. And not just any product, but something that would help bring about the future we want to see. Something that would SHAPE culture, and impact civilisation.
We found it, by accident. In fact, we stumbled on it while messing around with LLMs. I will save the genesis story of Satlantis for a future post, but for now, suffice to say, life leads you to where you need to go, in the most novel of ways.
So goodbye Authentic Intelligence, and hello Social 2.0.
What is Social 2.0?
If Social 1.0 was about billion+ user platforms that transformed into algorithmically driven dopamine monsters, Social 2.0 is an opportunity to build something new and more intentional.
It’s a second chance to build a social layer for the web.
The Social 2.0 era will be marked by the rise of many different niche and micro social networks, each with a core focus or specialty domain. It will also likely be developed atop a global, open, identity protocol - the leading candidate which I believe is NOSTR - where users own their content, data, followers and identity.
This blog - also now called Social 2.0 - will follow and document that journey through not only research, but hands on experience building a Social 2.0 platform: Satlantis.
What can you expect?
I first thought about this a couple months ago after I ran a workshop with the team, on the cold start problem. I sat there thinking, “damn - this is great content, and probably useful for other people too.” I guess that’s probably how most of these building in public blogs start.
The initial idea was to document “The journey of building Satlantis” and to more broadly discuss the “building of new & niche social networks.”
I suggested it to a friend of mine over lunch and he said: “That’s a great fucking idea.” (Thanks Matt),
So I elaborated on it further and decided to start by covering our journey and documenting:
Insights gained in the space (both for building, and what we’re seeing)
Lessons learned along the way
This is the “Building in public” part which could also be a forum for product updates.
Beyond that, I’d like to discuss how the world is going to transform, and what role “Social Networking” might play. This is the “History in the making” part.
Some of the questions I’m going to ask, and topics I’ll explore:
Building on Nostr
Building a unique product in a world of copycats
How to combine elements of existing platforms in a novel way
How to build and grow a micro/niche Social Network
How to build something for the Nomad & Travel space
Building the technical and social layer of the “Network State.”
Bootstrapping and Reaching initial Critical Mass
Discovering and Building Atomic Networks
Helping bootstrap Bitcoin Circular Economies
Reinventing Digital Advertising
Rich Identity and the New Social Layer
Memberships & Community
The return of the Social Graph
Discovery versus Relationships
Finally - of course I chose Substack, mainly because everyone was here, and it’s a great example of a well-built product. But there’s new options coming online, so let’s see. I’ll of course also write on Nostr, so if you’re not there yet, time to go create a key pair.
My nPub: npub1dtgg8yk3h23ldlm6jsy79tz723p4sun9mz62tqwxqe7c363szkzqm8up6m
Social Networks in 2030
Social Networks in 2030, will be different to Social Networks in 2020.
The first essay on Social 2.0, will be a look at the past, present and future of Social Networks, how they started, how the evolved, and what they’ve become. It’s not all bad, and of course, it’s also not all good.
It will then go on to paint a picture of what the future will look like, and what to expect.
If this is of interest, make sure you mark Social 2.0 as a favourite in your inbox so you don’t miss it.
The Nostr Booth
Last but not least!
If you’re a Nostr supporter, and a Bitcoiner - I’d like to call your attention to an incredible initiative that I’ve supported both personally and via Satlantis.
I do think Nostr is the leading candidate for a social and identity protocol for the internet. If we can help spread the word, it has a strong chance of winning in the coming years and reaching critical mass.
There are three major conferences coming up in Latin America. There’s an initiative to get a Nostr presence at each of these, along with full satellite days after the event for teaching and onboarding people to Nostr.
It’s by far the most compelling initiative I have seen and she's raising some funds for it now (she’s just over half way). I've thrown $500 at it, but being Bitcoin/Geyser, you can throw anything from $1 in or whatever you want. Most people are chucking $9, $21, $49 or $100.
Would be great if y ou are reading this and can either help give it more visibility or donate a small amount. Every Sat goes a LONG way toward activating Nostr more.. Just 50 of you with $20 would cover $1k, which is the cost of the full day satellite events in one city. Thank you in advance for your support!
Finally - I just want to thank you all for your continued support. It’s been a big year of building and I believe after 35+ years, I have finally found my IKIGAI: between The Bushido of Bitcoin and Satlantis.
It’s a big statement, but I feel it my blood and bones. I’ve not had this much energy and enthusiasm about life…since I was young, dumb and full of cum in my twenties!
Here’s to a better world, that WE will build, together.
Agreed mate. AI is not intelligent; it is merely a mirror reflecting how predictable humans are and highlighting our limitations and dependancy on confirmation bias.