AI Conclave News; It's Time For Greater San Francisco

The Bay Area is a regional economy hindered by fragmented local governments. The answer is consolidation into Greater San Francisco.

Developments in artificial intelligence have raised significant questions that must be addressed for us to understand what impacts AI is having now, will have in the future, and what humans should do in response.

Palladium’s AI Conclave is bringing together the best minds to consider new perspectives on humanity's response to AI. A month-long pop-up campus in the Mediterranean will provide the setting for us to dive deeply into the hardest questions.

We're looking forward to meeting and thinking with the Conclave fellows and guests. Here’s the latest information.

Application Form

Our application form is now live and we encourage everyone interested to apply. Scholarship funding is available but limited. We encourage those requiring funding to apply soon.

When and Where

We have confirmed the dates of November 1-30, 2023 at a beautiful private estate outside of Sitges, which is a town near Barcelona, Spain.

Who Is Coming?

AI ethicist, engineer, and author Nell Watson will be joining us as a moderator along with Wolf Tivy, Skinner Layne, and Matt Ellison. Among many other distinctions, Nell is the author of the forthcoming book Taming the Machine: Ethically Harness the Power of AI.

We plan for there to be about 20-30 participants on campus at any given time.

Fellowships & Funding

Fellowships include on-campus participation, room and board, and meals.

We have four tiers of participation in the AI Conclave. Fees may be waived by requesting and receiving scholarship funding. We especially welcome couples and families to apply.

Full Fellowship (Full Program 4-Week Participation): 7,000 USD
Visiting Fellowship (2-Week Participation): 4,000 USD
Visiting Fellowship (1-Week Participation): 2,500 USD
Guest Pass (1-Day Pass): 500 USD per day

While there will be group programs every day, it will likely be possible for participants to work remotely or attend to other remote responsibilities.

See the website for more details. Get in touch with us at hello@aiconclave.io with questions.

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It’s Time For Greater San Francisco

Last week, returning writer Evan Zimmerman published a new article on the prospect of creating a Bay Area supercity. Merging the many independent cities of the region with San Francisco would help solve many of its coordination problems, including transit, housing, and crime.

It’s been done before in the United States. Today’s New York City is the result of a merger of different townships like Manhattan and Brooklyn into one entity. It was mostly spearheaded by one man—Andrew Haswell Green. Replicating his success will require building political coalitions that include civic, corporate, and non-profit stakeholders.

What matters is not money, but the ability to build these alliances. Green advocated for and achieved New York consolidation over 30 years without a great deal of wealth to his name. What he possessed was extensive personal experience in the institutions of New York. Green did not just advocate, but actually sat on commissions to implement projects that advanced his vision step by step. That willingness to engage with the actual work of sitting on boards is often what’s missing from today’s aspiring Andrew Haswell Greens. He knew the ropes, the names, and the possible alliances. And in the end, he succeeded.

New York’s consolidation in the late 1800s is what prevented it from getting eclipsed by other up-and-coming cities like Chicago. If San Francisco wants to retain its competitive edge and maintain competent governance, the same will need to happen to the Bay Area.

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Here’s what’s been on the front page lately:

It’s Time For Greater San Francisco by Evan Zimmerman. The Bay Area is a regional economy hindered by fragmented local governments. The answer is consolidation into Greater San Francisco.

A New Cosmist Moment by Alexander Gelland. The Cosmists pursued visions of resurrection and immortality but ended up recuperated into Soviet ideology. Modern tech utopians are following in their footsteps.

The Only Reason to Explore Space by Marko Jukic. There is only one durable justification for space exploration. If we fail to understand it, our civilization will end on Earth, not among the stars.

Artificial General Intelligence Is Possible and Deadly by Wolf Tivy. Artificial General Intelligence is the central conjecture of the AI field. If it is possible, it will completely disrupt the human condition and probably kill us all.

You Can’t Trust the AI Hype by Ash Milton. Investor hype around AI doesn’t reflect the real impacts of deep learning. That hype rests on a false ideology in which the tech industry is the vanguard of progress.

That’s all for now.