Our core belief is in the immense potential of technology as a force multiplier, particularly when it's rendered accessible and intuitive. From the onset, we have viewed the internet through the lens of software, rather than merely brochureware.
— Ajaz Ahmed“Purpose and meaning are inextricably tied to suffering and difficulty. If you tell me a pursuit that you view as meaningful and important, I can guarantee it won't be easy. If it was easy, it wouldn't be meaningful or important. We reserve the notion of meaning for things that have difficulty.”— Paul Bloom
Psychologist specializing in moral development and human nature research
The quote archive
Technology
A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.
India boasts a robust workforce with nearly 5 million developers, a vast, young demographic, a burgeoning middle class, and a tech-enabled, English-speaking workforce. All these factors combine to offer what could be the opportunity of the decade for India.
— Girish MathruboothamFounder and CEO of Freshworks, cloud-based software company
I'm genuinely convinced that the upcoming decade will be the era of India as a product nation. The product revolution has begun, what we're terming as 'India SaaS' – the development of global SaaS products originating in India, not merely for the Indian market, but for the world.
— Girish MathruboothamFounder and CEO of Freshworks, cloud-based software company
For instance, while AI can generate images that appear real, it cannot create convincing backgrounds that can be geolocated, since they do not correspond to actual places.
— Eliot HigginsFounder of Bellingcat, open-source investigation journalism network
It's essentially a democratic revolution, wresting control from the conventional gatekeepers like intelligence agencies and the media.
— Eliot HigginsFounder of Bellingcat, open-source investigation journalism network
The defining feature of our era is that the next generation are bona fide digital natives. They're backed by technology, making them tech-empowered. Thanks to social media, they can sway vast audiences in mere moments. They possess a crystal-clear agenda about the environment, justice, equality, and beyond just financial markets, they're reshaping social and political narratives.
— Ken CostaWe're no longer just measuring ourselves against the 120 members of our local community. Instead, with our devices, we're exposed to global icons like Bill Gates, Oprah, or LeBron James, setting standards for our intelligence, beauty, and self-worth. This expanded comparison can be detrimental.
— Rebecca HeissThe stress response is designed for '3 minutes of screaming terror across the Savannah.' If you're not experiencing such an intense moment, it's likely that your stress response isn't calibrated right. In our digital age, it might lead to an inadvertent 'reply all' or perhaps a hastily written email.
— Rebecca HeissAlgorithms understand and can guide me better than I can guide myself. The real game-changer is data. I'm willing to yield control to an algorithm that proves to be superior.
— Bryan JohnsonBiohacker & Blueprint Project Founder focused on extreme longevity optimization
In the tech sphere, when you acquire a company, you're seldom buying the present product. Instead, you're investing in their future innovations. This means retaining talent is paramount.
— John ChambersFormer CEO of Cisco Systems, led company through internet boom era
Digital technology and instant news cycles, together with the aggressive marketing of fear-mitigating products and services, are certainly driving fear in contemporary society. Today, fear is closely related to the problem of misinformation and disinformation, and to the erosion of trust in political institutions.
— Robert PeckhamWhile the cautionary tales narrated by these thinkers have merit, one can't help but feel they occasionally veer into hyperbole. They often highlight the idea that AI systems can self-evolve, enhancing their capabilities exponentially in mere seconds. However, this overlooks the fact that genuine intelligence augmentation necessitates the incorporation of vast new data.
— W. Russell NeumanCommunications scholar and pioneer in media effects research and digital divide studies
This historical and cultural trajectory, while understandable, seemingly dismisses the idea that computers can serve as invaluable complements to human cognition. We ought to look beyond mere abstract potentialities of human capabilities and consider the tangible ways AI can assist when humans interact with their environment.
— W. Russell NeumanCommunications scholar and pioneer in media effects research and digital divide studies
AI doesn't just amplify our physical capabilities; it augments our intellect, allowing us to comprehend and engage with the world on a level previously unimagined. This, I believe, is the pinnacle of our evolutionary journey.
— W. Russell NeumanCommunications scholar and pioneer in media effects research and digital divide studies
However, if the supply is infinite, (that's true of emails), then you're never actually going to get that position of mastery over time. What's going to happen is that you just get busier and busier and move faster and faster!
— Oliver BurkemanGuardian columnist & author on psychology, time management, and happiness
What's going to happen is that you just get busier and busier and move faster and faster! We treat productivity tools as if they're going to lead to our salvation, they're absolutely not going to.
— Oliver BurkemanGuardian columnist & author on psychology, time management, and happiness