“AI represents successful capitalism. What we have alongside that is unsuccessful government. Government has no plan — left or right.” — Keith Teare

It’s the 82nd anniversary of D-Day. On June 6, 1944, there was an unambiguous end game — the defeat of Nazi Germany. But today, end games are more controversial, especially in terms of harnessing the AI revolution to benefit everyone.

For Keith Teare, publisher of That Was the Week, the AI end game requires an “Institute of the Future.” Everyone from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to Elon Musk and Sam Altman should hammer out a plan to harness AI for the benefit of society. Keith offers the internet governance organisation ICANN as a model for this institute. It will shape the future for all of our benefit, he promises.

So a D-Day for AI? I’m sceptical of this type of Brave New World-style technocracy. Firstly, Sanders, Warren, Musk and Altman agree on very little. And Musk and Altman hate each other. I’m also dubious that AI will or can benefit everyone. As Keith notes, some professions — teachers, for example — will be decimated by AI. Where I agree with Keith, however, is that we need a new politics for this new age. Political parties, rather than institutes, of the future. Innovation rather than ICANN.

Five Takeaways

• The Anthropic IPO Slip. Anthropic accidentally filed for its IPO. SpaceX’s $75 billion terms were revealed — now looks small by comparison. Keith tried to buy SpaceX shares and expects to get none. The three big IPOs will accelerate San Francisco real estate and concentrate wealth in tens of thousands of people.

• Successful Capitalism, Unsuccessful Government. AI is capitalism working: profit motive, innovation, jobs. Alongside it: government with no plan. Trump went from hands-off to mandatory 30-day assessments in a single week. Nobody states what outcome they want.

• Keith’s PhD. University of Kent, Canterbury, 1970s: why capitalism is never static and new entrants always eclipse what went before. Andrew: does a fifty-year-old PhD give you authority? Keith: it’s a useless criticism. You could say that to anyone about anything.

• Credit to Bernie and Warren. At least they’re having the conversation. Keith’s criticism: their framing — tax, centralise, spend — is captured by the old economy. Teachers’ unions can’t think freely about a future without teachers as they currently exist.

• An ICANN for AI. One concrete prescription: an Institute for the Future. Musk, Altman, Amodei, Sanders, Warren at the table. Clear mandate: define the future you want. Model: ICANN — disagrees constantly, still makes decisions.

About the Guest

Keith Teare is a British-American entrepreneur, investor, and publisher of the That Was the Week newsletter. He is a co-founder of TechCrunch.

References

That Was the Week by Keith Teare: thatwa.st
Noah Smith, “We Need Liberal Nationalism to Come Back”
The Economist, “American Capitalism Has Taken an Apocalyptic Turn”

About Keen On America

Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen.

Website: https://keenon.tv/ Substack: https://keenon.substack.com/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@KeenOnShow

Chapters:

00:00:31 D-Day, June 6, and the Anthropic IPO slip
00:02:26 What is the endgame?
00:03:46 Successful capitalism, unsuccessful government
00:05:33 Andrew challenges Keith’s authority
00:06:42 Keith’s PhD
00:07:13 Bernie Sanders: 50% ownership
00:07:30 At least they’re having the conversation
00:09:00 Jack Clark and slowing down
00:15:00 Andrew Yang and universal capital distribution
00:20:00 The three IPOs and San Francisco real estate
00:27:35 Musk’s utopia: the end of money
00:32:45 Teachers: the job goes, the profession transforms
00:35:13 One concrete thing: an Institute for the Future
00:36:46 The ICANN model