Why We May Not Be Doomed After All
This week, we took a look at how the forces of technology and natural selection may shape a more hopeful future.
It can feel like the forces of technology are moving faster than we can possibly steer them. But what happens if you stop bracing against the wave and actually lean in—wholeheartedly, eyes open? Sometimes, on the other side of that surrender, a strange optimism appears: the sense that beneath our flashiest tools, the deeper logic of human evolution is still the sturdier force, shaping what we build and how we adapt. This week, we explored that tension—and that hope—through a handful of new books.
Father’s Day is coming up! Give dad one of our best-of three-book bundles.
This Week on the Next Big Idea Podcast
We may not be doomed after all.
Nearly half of all Americans believe AI is bad for humanity. Peter H. Diamandis is not one of them. On his podcast, Moonshots, and in his new book, We Are as Gods, co-written with the inimitable Steven Kotler, he makes the case that artificial intelligence is already ushering in a world of abundance — think radical life extension, 10 billion humanoid robots, and agents that do your job while you’re sipping a latte.
He knows it may not be all sunshine and hydroponic roses, but he believes our future is incredibly bright. And he’s putting his money where his mouth is: XPRIZE, the nonprofit he founded more than 30 years ago to bankroll breakthroughs, just announced it’s giving $3.5 million to filmmakers who conjure convincingly optimistic visions of the future.
Rufus and Caleb don’t have their film treatment ready yet, but they do have plenty of questions for Peter and Steven about flying cars, the future of work, worst-case scenarios, and the new commandments for working with AI. Check out our conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Book Bite of the Week
What happens when AI does everything for you?
Joanna Stern is an Emmy-winning tech journalist. She is the founder of New Things and NBC News’ chief tech analyst. She spent 12 years at The Wall Street Journal, has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and was a technology editor at ABC News and The Verge. To write I Am Not a Robot, she spent a year letting AI and robots take over nearly every part of her life—or at least as much as she could without losing her mind, marriage, or job. She used it at work. She used it for her health. She used it for parenting. She used it for (almost) everything. Check out her key insights on the Next Big Idea app.
This week’s Book of the Day sponsor is The Art of Pacing by Elizabeth Svoboda. Most of us are stuck between two extremes — endless hustle or complete disengagement — and neither works. Award-winning science writer Elizabeth Svoboda draws on cutting-edge research and interviews with Olympic athletes and entrepreneurs to reveal a third way: pacing. A refreshing antidote to hustle culture for anyone trying to work hard without burning out. Praised by Steve Magness, Carl Honoré, and Simone Stolzoff.
This Week on the Next Big Idea Daily Podcast
What’s evolution done for us lately?
Owen D. Jones is a professor of law and biology at Vanderbilt University. His research focuses, in part, on the implications of natural selection for everything from medicine to law to the way we make decisions. In his new book, Force of Nature, he argues that we are prone to make big, extremely consequential mistakes and miss important opportunities to improve the human condition anytime we overlook, underestimate, or misunderstand natural selection. Pick up a copy of his book on Amazon or listen to her big ideas on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
This edition of Book of the Day is sponsored by Fora, a travel agency platform designed for entrepreneurs who want to build and scale their own travel business. Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/idea
🎉 Happy Publication Week! 🎉
The following Next Big Idea Club Must-Read authors get to celebrate the publication of their books today--congratulations to them all! 📖 Join us in reading and discussing these exciting new releases:
Owen D. Jones, Force of Nature: Understanding Evolution’s Deepest Logic―and Putting It to Use
Darby Saxbe, Dad Brain: The New Science of Fatherhood and How It Shapes Men’s Lives
Rye Barcott, Courage Can Save Us: Ten Extraordinary Americans and the Fight for Our Future
Amy Kurtz, But You Look Fine: Trapped in the Hell Between Sick and Well and How To Break Free
Fay Bound-Alberti, The Face: A Cultural History
Lu Chekowsky, Don’t Buy What I’m Selling: On Breaking Up with Advertising and Finally Learning to Love My Whole, Fat Self
John Kim, Love Hard On Purpose: Toss the Blueprints. Build Something Honest.
Chris Ballard, The Plunge: Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water
Margie Lachman, Primetime: A New Vision for Midlife
Pamela Pavliscak, All the Feels: How to Stay Human in the Digital World