Five Things: Saudi-Arabia & Israel, AI Hype & Fear, Extreme Heat, Ukraine, American Diner

It's time to open this email and read five very interesting articles.

Here we go again. It is Sunday Morning and you are reading Five Things!

This week I went to Baden-Baden, a beautiful spa town in the Black Forest, to give a talk about Artificial Intelligence and what the current developments can mean for our society and also for business. It is quite fascinating to see how the topic all of sudden is in the center of attention, thanks to the current releases of ChatGPT. During the last eight years I have looked at plenty of startups that build something with or around AI, and we have invested in quite a few as well, but not a whole lot of people were interested in AI back then and showed only mild interest in these startups. I’m really curious how fast the hype will vanish and we see AI being put to use in various industries. Honestly, when I look at the current speed of development in the AI space, I don’t know how long this will take. A year? 5 years? 6 months? There is rapid change ahead and the job-descriptions of many people will change. Also, plenty of white-collar workers will lose their high-paying jobs, for instance in finance and legal, as plenty of analysis will be done automagically from now on. New jobs will also be created, we just don’t know when and how may. The future will be interesting.

Don’t get carried away be the hype, but do enjoy Five Things! ✌🏻

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From Tel Aviv to Riyadh

This is a very interesting piece by Thomas L. Friedman about the changes in Saudi-Arabia and Israel. I do hope that the relations are getting better, but at the same time I am not thrilled about Israel slowly fading away from their secular tradition. (New York Times)

We are spectacularly bad at predicting the future. Ignore the AI hype and fear

These articles brings a much needed perspective into the current discussion about AI and how it will change the world for the better or destroy humanity. “Anybody can hold forth about what AI will or will not do. Rarer are those with the intention and means to bring such possibilities to life. These people we ought to take more seriously.” (Big Think)

Extreme Heat Is Deadlier Than Hurricanes, Floods and Tornadoes Combined

So far this June was hotter than any other June before, globally. As the planet is getting warmer every year, we have to focus more on surviving the heat. And obviously inner cities have a bigger problem with heat islands than areas surrounded by trees. Extreme heat costs the USA an estimated $100 billion annually. I’m curious how long it will take for lawmakers to act on this. (Scientific American)

The Other Counteroffensive to Save Ukraine

Even though the war in Ukraine still goes on, we need to develop a strategy for rebuilding Ukraine after it successfully defeated the Russian aggressors. A modern day Marshall Plan for Ukraine could bring Europe closer together and push it forward economically. This would be the exact opposite of what Putin is trying to achieve. (Foreign Affairs)

The Myth of the American Diner

I love American diners. Every time I’m in the States, I need to visit a diner and mostly it’s Drake Diner, my favorite diner. “Maybe the diner is a microcosm of America. It holds on to a story about itself that has never really been true, and at any given moment it’s difficult to tell whether it actually believes that story or whether that’s what it’s trying to sell you.” (Eater)

That’s it. Have an amazing Sunday!