Not to read too much into this, but the Augustan references here are actually perfect. The books and amphora-like vessels, the monumental lettering on Zuck's shirt, and the imperial pose. Even the slogan follows the theme of Augustus’ Res Gestae: empire-building as an act of care.

We mostly talk about AI in terms of what’s present: reasoning, knowledge, agency. I think what makes it feel so powerful actually has a lot to do with what's absent: genuine emotions, obsessions, or doubts.

I've lived in Berlin for several years but realized I never really appreciated the amazing architecture and public art enough. Walking around the Museum Island this morning was quite a visceral reminder of how art is so so much more than just a creative output. There's a cultural and historical gravitas about these buildings and sculptures I think is hard for a machine alone to accomplish.

One of the painting series I've been most obsessed with recently is Albert Oehlen's computer paintings. In the early 90s, Oehlen was intrigued by the idea of the computer's aura of futurity. So he got a laptop from Texas instruments, having the desire to create computer paintings without having any visual idea of what it might be. A lot of it now appears obvious in hindsight but imagine how novel this approach and aesthetic was more than 30 years ago! Just got to see one of the earlier ones in Berlin this weekend :)