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In transitToward a social theory of venture
To practice venture is to practice social theory. It's not novel to point out that to really understand what’s happening in today’s technology market, we must situate it within its broader societal context. Yet during periods of intense technological innovation and irrational exuberance, the social underpinnings that shape this market can often go under-appreciated. During times like these, there’s value to be had in leaning on disciplines like social theory to gain a more human, and therefor...
In transitDoes AI change how much my data is worth?
Placing financial value on an individual’s personal data, let alone selling it, has always felt like a futile exercise. While ‘big data’ is a hot com...
In transitToward a social theory of venture
To practice venture is to practice social theory. It's not novel to point out that to really understand what’s happening in today’s technology market, we must situate it within its broader societal context. Yet during periods of intense technological innovation and irrational exuberance, the social underpinnings that shape this market can often go under-appreciated. During times like these, there’s value to be had in leaning on disciplines like social theory to gain a more human, and therefor...
In transitDoes AI change how much my data is worth?
Placing financial value on an individual’s personal data, let alone selling it, has always felt like a futile exercise. While ‘big data’ is a hot com...
Internet knowledge creators are at a crossroads. Independent writers, recipe bloggers, wellness podcasters, and parenting experts who’ve spent years building their own online knowledge bases face what appears as a binary choice: compete for attention against AI-generated content or sell their carefully crafted work as training data to large language models.
On one side, creators watch generative models (often trained on scraped web data) produce endless streams of content at a fraction of the cost. Some of this might be slop, but some of it is quite good and only getting better. Soon AI-generated content will outnumber human voices online. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and could actually be quite a good thing.
But we must protect human-made, trustworthy forms of knowledge to anchor our online discourse. If creators continue trying to compete with algorithms through purely traditional formats (books, blogs, podcasts), they may exhaust themselves to obsolescence — leaving us with fewer reliable human voices to ground our understanding of truth.
On the other hand, surrendering to AI comes with its own problems. Following established publishers like The Atlantic and Vox Media, creators could choose to monetize their existing content by selling it as training data to AI companies. While this might provide a short-term financial boost, it’d mean surrendering years of work to feed the very systems that could eventually replace them.
A third path is emerging. One that doesn’t force creators to choose between resistance and capitulation. Imagine a scenario where knowledge creators keep ownership of their data while embracing AI by creating their own generative interfaces to connect with audiences.
New platforms are springing up that value expert knowledge — from Gigabrain's search engine for user-generated content to
Internet knowledge creators are at a crossroads. Independent writers, recipe bloggers, wellness podcasters, and parenting experts who’ve spent years building their own online knowledge bases face what appears as a binary choice: compete for attention against AI-generated content or sell their carefully crafted work as training data to large language models.
On one side, creators watch generative models (often trained on scraped web data) produce endless streams of content at a fraction of the cost. Some of this might be slop, but some of it is quite good and only getting better. Soon AI-generated content will outnumber human voices online. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and could actually be quite a good thing.
But we must protect human-made, trustworthy forms of knowledge to anchor our online discourse. If creators continue trying to compete with algorithms through purely traditional formats (books, blogs, podcasts), they may exhaust themselves to obsolescence — leaving us with fewer reliable human voices to ground our understanding of truth.
On the other hand, surrendering to AI comes with its own problems. Following established publishers like The Atlantic and Vox Media, creators could choose to monetize their existing content by selling it as training data to AI companies. While this might provide a short-term financial boost, it’d mean surrendering years of work to feed the very systems that could eventually replace them.
A third path is emerging. One that doesn’t force creators to choose between resistance and capitulation. Imagine a scenario where knowledge creators keep ownership of their data while embracing AI by creating their own generative interfaces to connect with audiences.
New platforms are springing up that value expert knowledge — from Gigabrain's search engine for user-generated content to
I’m excited about how AI creating deeper, two-way exchanges between creators and the public. Novel experiences like Notebook LM’s generated conversations suggest we’re on the verge of a new communication modality (what’s next after podcasts?), and knowledge creators are well-suited to lead with access to the right tools.
As AI increasingly mediates access to our information, the role of trusted human experts will become more crucial, not less. The future looks like creators combining their expertise with AI in ways that preserve humans’ most valuable assets: their relationships and their ideas.
I’m excited about how AI creating deeper, two-way exchanges between creators and the public. Novel experiences like Notebook LM’s generated conversations suggest we’re on the verge of a new communication modality (what’s next after podcasts?), and knowledge creators are well-suited to lead with access to the right tools.
As AI increasingly mediates access to our information, the role of trusted human experts will become more crucial, not less. The future looks like creators combining their expertise with AI in ways that preserve humans’ most valuable assets: their relationships and their ideas.
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We're grateful for all the writers out there that are courageous enough to share their stories, insights, and ideas with the world. We appreciate you! To that end, we're back with the 23rd edition of Paragraph Picks, highlighting a few hand-picked pieces of writing we enjoyed over the past week or so.
@danielmcglynn explores the cyclical “bubble dynamics” of Bitcoin, emphasizing how its boom-and-bust patterns, driven by halving events and market psychology, contribute to adoption and innovation but also present significant risks for investors caught in the hype. "It’s also helpful to think that each market cycle is a series of bubbles or a chain of bubbles, that all connect at regular intervals to drive market adoption, development, and innovation." https://paragraph.xyz/@open-money/bubble-market-dynamics
@usv's Grace Carney highlights the challenges faced by internet knowledge creators in competing with AI-generated content, proposing a third path where creators retain ownership of their work while using AI tools to enhance engagement and preserve the value of human expertise. "The future looks like creators combining their expertise with AI in ways that preserve humans’ most valuable assets: their relationships and their ideas." https://paragraph.xyz/@in-transit.com/a-third-path
@asha profiles photographer @ozlem, exploring her journey of documenting disappearing cultures, her commitment to preserving human stories through respectful and empathetic photography, and her passion for exploring diverse traditions that connect us through shared human experiences. "Despite our diversity in beliefs, cultures, and faiths, we share this world, and the only thing we need to do is practice empathy and respect." https://paragraph.xyz/@beams/framing-humanity-ozlems-journey-through-disappearing-cultures