Episode 2113: Does Silicon Valley have an AI Bubble Problem? Duh....
Does Silicon Valley have an AI bubble problem? That Was the Week’s Keith Teare, usually the most bullish of tech bulls, acknowledges that Silicon Valley has an overvaluation issue with AI startups. But I wonder if the problem with AI goes deeper than the frothiness of its startup valuations. What, if anything, is AI search good for? asks a Vox piece that Keith links to this week. That could be rephrased. What, if anything, is AI good for? might be a better question amidst the ridiculous valuations and childish promises of Silicon Valley’s AI priesthood. And the current answer, I suspect, is: not very much.
Keith Teare is the founder and CEO of SignalRank Corporation. Previously, he was executive chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd., a U.K.-based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. Teare studied at the University of Kent and is the author of “The Easy Net Book” and “Under Siege.” He writes regularly for TechCrunch and publishes the “That Was The Week” newsletter.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Phil Klay on Rebuilding the American Citizen in an Age of Endless, Invisible War
Mark Esper: The Surrealism of Life as Secretary of Defense in the Trump Regime
Lise Vesterlund on The No Club and How to Put a Stop to Women's Dead End Work
Jon Mooallem: How to Make Sense of Profound Arbitrariness in a World That Is Suppose to Make Sense
Charlotte Mullins: Finally a History of Art That Includes Female and Non-White Artists
Glenda Gilmore: The Significance of Romare Bearden's Art in the American Canon
Gregg Barak: On the Persistent and Unambiguous Criminality of Donald J. Trump
Maurice Stucke: How Big-Tech Barons Smash Innovation and How to Fight Back
Francis Fukuyama: Are We At the End of the History of Liberalism?
Andrew Leon Hanna: How the World's Refugees Are 25 Million Sparks of Innovation and Humanity
Finally Some Good News: Why We Might All Be Altruistic Creatures
James Zimring: How Math Distorts Our Thinking
Leslie Fenwick: How the Legacy of Jim Crow Still Infects American Schools