Paul Graham, founder of Y-Combinator was in Stockholm the other day. I've been following his blog for quite some time and like the way he's exploring ideas and building up arguments. He talked mainly about why you (as a startup founder) should visit San Fransisco and get immersed in the ecosystem.
The question also came up: "in the new age of AI, what would you teach your kids?". The answer in the room seemed to go along the lines of "give them love and show them the world". Though I do think that is directionally right, shouldn't there be something more specific to say on this topic? Following is my take at the answer to that question:
- Agency: Agency is imagining some future desired state and taking actions to actually get there. Your actions, your responsibility. So even if we could outsource agency to an AI, we shouldn't do it, because they can't be held responsible.
- Art of thinking: Yes, on the current path it looks undeniably like we are going to have intelligence on tap in the future. But you still need to ask the right questions. You beiscally have direct access to a with an infinitely patient Einstein, but if you don't even know basic algebra, you won't get much out of it.
- Communication and rhetoric: Collaborating with and influencing other people is a great soft skill today, and will be relatively even more important in the future as hard skills get more automated. Definitively wished I invested earlier in this one.
- Persistence: I remember when I hanged out at MIT OpenCourseWare to learn physics from Walter Lewin. In the end of each lecture, he posed kind of a physics brainteaser without giving the answer, as a means to encourage students to think about a problem over time. As the first 80% gets automated, the value accrues to the last 20%, which still requires persistence.
- Curiosity: Curiosity is about learning to enjoy learning. Adopting a learning and growth mindset. As answers become cheaper, the desire and willingness to explore seems like a skill still worth investing in.
There’s probably plenty I’ve missed, but this is a useful starting point. Though the post is called ‘What I would teach my kids’, this list is probably just as much for me.”