Sources for keeping up with AI
Over the years I’ve collected a lot of subscriptions and accounts that I follow to keep up with what’s happening with AI. Over time, AI has taken a larger share of my bandwidth and mindspace than global macro because of the size of the opportunity and the speed at which it’s developing. I didn’t start out as an AI expert, nor do I have a background in engineering. My knowledge of AI comes from simply following the best writers and experts on AI and taking the time to consume the fire hose of information coming at me from that space. In this post, I’ll share some of the information sources that have shaped my thinking. Whether you are an investor, an adopter/user of AI, or someone who just wants to keep up with what’s going on, there’s something for everyone here.
In case anyone is wondering, I receive no financial or other benefits from sharing any of this. I have another Substack account that I use for reading, so some of these accounts won’t show me as following them.
I’ve been following Beth for years and she is one of my favorite analysts on tech. She is ahead of the curve on where tech and AI are going and the analysis she provides is deep and well-written.
Beth shares her portfolio with the exact holdings and weights and sends alerts on when she enters and exits positions. She audits her track record and has delivered an impressive performance over the years. I follow her service mainly for her stock picking but find less value in her crypto picks and timing of market hedges. Her service requires a paid subscription (starting at $550/year) but the money is well worth it. It just so happens they are offering a discount right now.
Exponential View, by Azeem Azhar
Azhar writes about how AI is developing at the model and application layer, and more importantly, how it is shaping society and economics. One of the most thoughtful writers on AI out there.
Citrini is one of the top writers on Substack and a great source of analysis on all things AI, tech, and macro. Whenever he drops his long research pieces, I drop everything and read it. He is frequently ahead of the curve and has made some great calls on the AI supply chain and robotics. More recently he got mainstream attention from his pieces on his analyst’s trip to the Strait of Hormuz and on the AI apocalypse. A subscription is not cheap at $1000/year but it’s worth the money.
Not Boring by Packy McCormick
McCormick writes about tech and innovation in general, and AI is a large part of that. He writes a weekly rundown of what’s going on in AI and tech plus a weekly focus on specific issues.
The Innermost Loop by Dr. Alex Wissner Gross
This is a no-frills daily rundown of interesting articles, tweets, and developments in AI, technology, and longevity. It’s great for just keeping up with the crazy pace of innovation in this world, and it’s free!
This newsletter covers new products, companies, and developments at the AI application and model layers. It’s great for builders and adopters who want to stay up to date on the latest AI tools.
A16z is one of the biggest and most successful VC investors in tech, and this is their newsletter. It’s thoughtful and covers other topics in addition to AI. Best of all, it’s free!
Epoch AI is a research institute that studies the trajectory of AI development. The Epoch Brief keeps me updated on the leading edge of what’s going on, Gradient Update tackles the latest issues being discussed, and both are free.
Chamath writes regular posts and publishes Deep Dives on topics in innovation. The ones he has written on AI are pretty good. The subscription is a bit pricey at $1000 but the deep dives are thorough and well-written and great for the curious mind.
This newsletter doesn’t dumb down its language and is a bit technical to follow, but it also covers what’s happening in AI at a very granular level.
Podcasts
Dwarkesh is one of the best interviewers in AI due to his strong domain knowledge, his willingness to ask tough questions, and how much he prepares for every interview. There are too many good episodes in here to highlight - just go through them one by one.
This is a general investment podcast, but lately they’ve had some amazing guests in AI on the show:
Gavin Baker, founding partner and CIO of Atreides Management
Krishna Rao, CFO of Anthropic
Dylan Patel, founder and CEO of SemiAnalysis
Sergey Levin, co-founder of Physical Intelligence
All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
One of the most popular shows out there, and they talk about a wide range of topics including a lot of AI. All of the show’s participants have a lot of experience investing in or shaping the AI industry, including former AI czar David Sacks.
These long-form episodes go deep into the history and story of the most storied companies in the world. One of the best ones pertinent to AI was “Google Part III: The AI Company”. They also have episodes on Nvidia and interviews with Jensen Huang, and an interview with TSMC founder Morris Chang.
This is all for now. I’ll write a separate post at some point about my sources for global macro and trading.