What possibly could go wrong
Plus: Black swans and why life appears better in the past (#560)
This is David, your decidedly human web crawler, and you're reading the Weekly Filet, the newsletter for curious minds who love when something makes them go «Huh, I never thought of it this way!». As every Friday, I'm here to help you make sense of what’s happening, and imagine what could be. It's great to have you.
1.The Adolescence of Technology
Dario Amodei has dropped another epic essay. After laying out the best possible future with artificial intelligence in «Machines of Loving Grace» (WF #501), this one explores the dark side: the risks of powerful AI, and what's needed to mitigate them. On the one hand, you should definitely read this as the CEO of a major AI company signaling to regulators «See, we've got this!» and nudging them towards thwarting competition from China. On the other hand, Amodei has a front-row seat to all of this and clearly gives a lot of thought to where we're headed. Either way, it's a compelling read you won't regret taking the time for.
For more, I recommend my collection: Making Sense of Artificial Intelligence.
2. You Don't Belong
My friend and colleague Marie-José has written a thoughtful and wise essay on why people's fear of being left out makes them susceptible to autocrats. One of those rare pieces I already knew I'll keep thinking of a lot in the future even while I was still reading it. If you understand German, read the original; if not, reading a translated version is better than not reading it at all.
3. 15 Scenarios That Could Stun the World in 2026
Predicting the unpredictable: possible Black Swan events in 2026. I think I speak for everyone who has managed to get through January: Thanks, but no thanks.
4. A Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About
Brief and interesting. Two bits stood out to me: 1. «All behavior makes sense with enough information.» 2. «Life appears better in the past because in hindsight there wasn’t as much to worry about as you were actually worrying about at the time.»
5. The Fight For Slow And Boring Research
State-funded research often looks boring and has no immediate benefits. That's exactly why it needs to exist.
Dataguessr of the week
Update your knowledge of the world. One quiz at a time. This week:
What else?
Instant-gratification links that make you go wow! or aha! the moment you click.
- Wonderful surreal photography from the Australian Open.
- It takes a village. Useful word I didn't know: alloparenting.
- Fascinating chart that shows how India is taking a shortcut to electrification.
- I think this is meant to show improvement, but instead it's a perfect illustration of how annoyingly bloated cars have become.
- Old barns turned into modern living spaces.
Books for curious minds
Some new ones as I read them, some older ones that continue to inform how I look at the world and myself.
I like books that equip you with a lens to observe the world around you. This is one of those. Especially liked the selection of case studies, non-obvious and well researched. Buy it here.
A gem from the archive
David Bauer
The Weekly Filet archive offers more than 2800 hand-picked links since 2011, like this one. You can search by interests, explore collections or shuffle for a gem.
That's it for this week. Thanks for reading. I wish you a nice weekend and hope to see you again next Friday!
— David
More ways to learn and take inspiration from
Check my 📚 digital bookshelf, with sections of 🌡️ books that help you make sense of the climate crisis, ⛵ books that make you a better product manager, 🪄 books that help you make sense of AI, and 🧒 books that help you as a parent. And from collecting the best links on the web for close to 15 years, my thematic collections: The Art of Thinking (Differently), The Stuff Our Modern World Runs On, Bingeworthy Podcasts, and more.
Little useful apps from me, for you
🌍 You Don't Know Africa, a simple game that has already humbled millions of people. 💯 Choose Impact, an online tool to compare job opportunities. 🧭 Priority Compass, a tool for individuals, teams and organisations to focus your energy on what really matters. 🪄 How I Use AI, a collection of use cases, ready to use and adapt. 💬 Climate Questions, a playful conversation starter. And ⏱️ One Minute Challenge, a little meaningful distraction to refocus.