Chris Koopman from the Abundance Institute on optimism around emerging technology

In this episode we talk with Chris Koopman about how to shift the conversation around emerging tech from pessimism to optimism. Abundance Institute has been a leading force in creating the cultural conditions for technology adoption and is writing a new playbook for those who are "unapologetically optimistic” around the potential benefits of new solutions.

Their approach to issue selection revolves around framing the opportunities for new technology before an established narrative is set. They look for areas where the frontier is moving quickly, where pessimism might creep in if left unchecked, and where they can find first-mover advantages around adding their perspective to the conversation.

In this wide-ranging conversation we cover:

• The importance of demystifying technology and making the mundane reality better understood

• How AI will affect pathways for talent identification & development via network disintermediation

• Historical analogues to Abundance Institute & previous efforts to promote techno-optimism

• Inverting the traditional think tank playbook

• Engaging with communities impacted by emerging technology & bringing their perspective into policy conversations

Groups and projects mentioned

• Example of how visions of the future became the mundane

• Pessimists Archive by Louis Anslow

• 1908 Race from New York to Paris

• White Paper Interviews

• Park City Song Summit - Navigating Creativity in the Age of AI

• Park City Song Summit - AI and Inspiration vs Infringement

• Fall by Neal Stephenson

Show discussion

[00:00:38] Shifting the conversation around emerging tech from pessimism to optimism

[00:02:04] Problem Selection at Abundance Institute

[00:06:23] “Bootleggers & Baptists” Theory of Regulation

[00:09:41]  Creating the cultural conditions for tech adoption

[00:18:41] Engaging with communities impacted by emerging technology & bringing their perspective into policy conversations

[00:22:44] How AI will affect pathways for talent identification & development via network disintermediation

[00:27:26] AI enabling marginal ideas/projects to see the light of day (but also more noise/slop from "human wrappers on AI")

[00:29:36] Regulating AI

[00:35:24] What's next for NEPA

[00:41:28] Historical cycles around growth & degrowth

[00:48:47] The "Abundance" discourse & its legacy on the left and the right

[00:50:36] How to get involved with Abundance Institute