We met with tech journalist and commentator Andy Ihnatko for a big picture assessment on technology’s influence on society. Ihnatko is riveted by this moment — when the precedents of our society’s origins and founding documents failed to envision the questions and ethical quandaries posed by Artificial Intelligence. We must balance the opposing forces. Privacy, accuracy and data usage are challenged in unforeseen ways. We cannot deny that more work will be done better as AI gets layered into the existing tools that we already use to further boost our productivity and creative expression. Regulation too soon can crush new industries, but internal industry researchers who inform voluntary guidelines can be influenced or silenced. Giants like Apple, Google and Microsoft can bring an ever-improving experience to the consumer, but when do they cross the line and hurt the consumer through their market power? Kids can discover a vast world beyond their borders, but tech can also negatively impact their brain development. The Internet brings us more ways to live and work, but the Digital Divide and surveillance makes the powerless even more powerless. Ihnatko echoes a sentiment we often hear on Grey Matter, that we must practice deep interest and care for our fellow humans. Let us remain vigilant that we’re using tech to solve a problem or create an opportunity. Join us.

ChatGPT took the world, and our imaginations, by storm when it became the first consumer app to reach one million users in five days - the fastest in history. The opportunities and the threats are boundless, but we don’t know what we don’t know. We invited technology analyst Jeremiah Owyang to help us sift through the reality and the hype. Owyang minces no words when he asserts that AI will be the most consequential technology to debut in our lifetimes. The upheaval and displacement will be great, but it will also enable us to reset our relationship to work towards what is inspirational and enlightening. Will AI help us become more human? How will we protect ourselves from bad actors? How will we confirm what is true? How must society adjust? How close is AGI - Artificial General Intelligence - to becoming on par with human intelligence, and how will we know? Will our behavior change if AGI learns how to treat us by how we treat others? There’s no squeezing the genie back into the bottle. Join us for a peek of the brave new world that lies ahead.

When British novelist Robert Graves wrote “I Claudius” about the fourth Roman Emperor, he set the stage for our interview with Justine Ezarik, better known as iJustine, who is to me “The Empress of the Internet.” She is a content creator for nearly two decades who has over a billion views on her YouTube channel, and even has young fans who were not yet born when their parents started watching her. We sought to understand the personal and professional trajectory that led to her becoming such an authority on technology and an inspiration to so many. We learned that passion and balance are central themes of her life. Firstly, technology is iJustine’s first love. She observes that, “Today’s technology is so accessible that we can do really anything we want, if we have the will to do it.” This promise lights her up, and powers the fire of her hard-driving work ethic across all her varied interests. Secondly, there is balance - the Tao - the middle way between two extremes. Justine works hard, but also plays hard. She used to be very public about her life, but has now dialed that back to reclaim some of her life for herself. Consequently, she rediscovered authentic fun from what had become “fake fun.” There are troubling aspects about social media, but so too there are amazing aspects that grace those who can strike the balance and curate their consumption carefully. The same goes for Artificial Intelligence (AI) - there are negative uses while at the same time there are wondrous uses. She cautions against becoming too alarmist. Seeking to avoid labels, stay positive, channel creativity, champion access and maintain balance, iJustine - The Empress of the Internet - shows the way. Join us to learn how she does it all.