Thinking On Paper: AI, Quantum, Robotics, Web3 & The Impact of Technology | Startups

Thinking On Paper

Thinking On Paper gets up close and personal with AI, quantum computing, and the future of technology. Hosts Mark Fielding and Jeremy Gilbertson talk with CEOs, scientists, and cultural thinkers about how tech is redefining work, culture, and humanity. From Silicon Valley startups to Fortune 500 tech giants like IBM, they ask what it means to stay human and curious. Thursdays feature long-form interviews; Mondays, the Book Club breaks down essential books like Empire of AI, Nexus and Irreducible. Clear, curious, and critical. Listen now.

  1. 1D AGO

    The Meaning of Life: Consciousness & Human Experience In The Vibe Sphere | Federico Faggin, Irreducible Book Club - Chapter 13

    In 1971 Federico Faggin produced the world's first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4001. But he wasn't finished. A few years later he started making neural networks. When it comes to technology, not many have as much skin in the game. It's no surprise when he speaks about artificial intelligence and consciousness, the world's greatest minds listen. But what about the meaning of life? Well, he has an opinion on that too.In this week's Thinking On Paper Book Club, Mark and Jeremy are reading the final chapter of Faggin’s groundbreaking book on quantum information based panpsychism and consciousness, Irreducible. From artificial intelligence, seities and the vibesphere to neural networks, zen and the art of mindfulness, the book has asked and given a theory to some of the biggest topics of the technological age. But he's saved the biggest for last: what is the meaning of life?And why do humans risk becoming machines when imagination, empathy, and curiosity are sidelined.Please enjoy the show. -- Timestamps (00:00) Exploring Irreducible: A Journey Through Federico Fagin's Ideas (04:30) The Nature of Consciousness and the Role of Seities (09:32) Meaning, and the Human Experience (13:53) The Vibe Sphere: Music, Symbols, and Communication (18:48) Distortions in Self-Knowing (23:42) The Heart, Mind, and Gut: Centers of Knowing (27:29) What is the meaning of life?  -- Other ways to connect with us: ⁠Listen to every podcast⁠ Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ Follow us on ⁠X⁠ Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Read our ⁠Substack⁠ Email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz

    29 min
  2. Quantum Actors: Probability, Consciousness, and Reality | Federico Faggin - Irreducible Book Club, Chapter 12

    6D AGO

    Quantum Actors: Probability, Consciousness, and Reality | Federico Faggin - Irreducible Book Club, Chapter 12

    Hold on to your consciousness. In Chapter 12 of Irreducible, Federico Faggin battles classical assumptions: probability, the block universe and maths don't exist. The universe is conscious, your consciousness is made of seities, conscious units that report back to the quantum field (what Faggin calls 'The One') so that it can know itself. That is the meaning of the universe. Yes disruptors and curious minds, book club has taken a turn for the absurd, and we love it. In this episode: - Mark tries to understand Federico's claim that you’re not an observer but an actor in a conscious universe. -Jeremy looks at the role of live information; and whether AI creativity is simulation or emulation. -And of course, they both wrestle with the seities, the conscious units that the ONE uses to know itself. Along the way: “becoming,” fine-tuned constants, flow state, and why omniscience would end consciousness all get brought out. To be honest, it's probably - in as much as probabilities exist - beyond our pay grade. But do you know what? We've never had so much fun. Please enjoy the show. -- Chapters (00:00) Why consciousness vs physics matters (02:15) “Becoming”: a universe that’s still unfolding (03:03) What “live information” really means (05:51) Probability isn't real (07:43) Creativity & AI: making vs. remixing (09:24) Meaning vs. syntax: why symbols alone aren’t enough (17:13) Are you an Observer or actor? Your role in quantum reality (21:55) Reverse engineering anxiety and happiness (27:09) Flow state: the texture of the present (31:05) Simulated minds vs. emulated minds (32:12) Consider our minds blown. -- Follow and support Thinking On Paper: PODCAST: https://www.thinkingonpaper.xyz/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/ -- Thank you. And we love you.

    36 min
  3. AI Customer Service That Feels Human | Momntum CEO, Brian Kenny Outlines A Radical Future | Emotional AI, Creativity, Memory & Trust

    AUG 19

    AI Customer Service That Feels Human | Momntum CEO, Brian Kenny Outlines A Radical Future | Emotional AI, Creativity, Memory & Trust

    Customer service is a tricky one. It's ripe for an AI takeover, but 20 million people worldwide work in the industry. 95% of the industry is salaries. There is a lot of collateral damage there. Millions of jobs will vanish and not everyone can be re-trained. And yet, as anyone who has experienced customer service in 2025 can testify: it's pretty lousy. Frustrating. Annoying. Expensive. And how often do your queries, questions and complaints actually get answered?In this episode of Thinking on Paper, Brian Kenny, MOMNTUM’s co-founder, explains why today’s support systems are broken, and how building from first principles with AI can actually make customer service feel human again. And the results are staggering: MOMNTUM’s AI customer service agent Laila solves 86% of cases without handoff to a humans. Early signals also flash a potential 4,000% ROI. The future of more human and successful customer service is less humans and more AI. But at what cost?You'll Learn: Why slapping bots on old workflows makes service worseHow Laila spans phone, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, and MessengerWhere AI can be trusted now and where it shouldn’t beWhat metrics really matter (hint: it’s not CSAT)The new rules of trust, disclosure, and human escalationPlease enjoy the show. -- CHAPTERS (00:00) Why customer service is broken (03:30) What a modern support platform should look like (06:35) Using AI to make service feel personal (09:29) The data + privacy question (11:26) The only success metrics that really matter (15:09) Can machines create an emotional connection? (18:16) The real limits of today’s systems (and what Laila can’t do yet) (22:39) Where customer experience is headed next (34:22) What should humans be? -- Other ways to connect with us: ⁠Listen to every podcast⁠ Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ Follow us on ⁠X⁠ Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Read our ⁠Substack⁠ Email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz Learn more on Momntum and Laila -- Thank you. We love you. Stay peaceful.

    38 min
  4. Space Based Solar Power: Politics, Data Centers, and the Global Race for Energy | Martin Soltau, Space Solar CEO & Founder

    JUL 15

    Space Based Solar Power: Politics, Data Centers, and the Global Race for Energy | Martin Soltau, Space Solar CEO & Founder

    There is an energy crisis. There is an environment crisis. And the two - sooner rather than later - are going to collide. Humanity will have to make some brave decisions about fossil fuels, sustainability and the cost of electricity. But even now, the giants of oil and gas are using AI to speed up their search for new pockets of oil and gas. They are using the same artificial intelligence to speed up the mining process, to make it more efficient, cheaper. Less humans in the loop. Net Zero by 2030 has become a joke. Could the answer be right above our heads? Could the sun provide all the energy we need and make fossil fuels really an antiquated fuel source of the past? Space-Based Solar Power has projected costs as low as $30 /MWh. Cheap enough to cut your household electricity bills. On this week's show, Martin Soltau—co-founder of Space Solar — joins Mark and Jeremy to Think On Paper about the the economics, engineering and policy shifts that make orbit-generated clean energy look inevitable.Please Enjoy the show. And share with a curious friend. -- Learn More: https://www.spacesolar.co.uk/ --  Timestamps  (00:00) Disruptors And Curious Minds  (01:34) Space Based Solar Satellites  (05:10) The Ground Infrastructure  (07:37) SBSP V Nuclear, Coal & Gas  (12:05) Launch Costs  (13:55) Data Centers In Space  (15:36) Scaling Space Based Solar Power  (18:08) Manufacturing In Space  (20:25) The Eisenhower Of SBSP  (23:10) The Politics Of Space Based Solar Power  (28:35) Energy Is Everything  (31:05) The Government Perspective  -- Other ways to connect with us: ⁠Listen to every podcast⁠ Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ Follow us on ⁠X⁠ Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Read our ⁠Substack⁠ Email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz

    36 min
  5. Dario Amodei: AI Utopia in 5 Years, or the End of Human Control? | Machines of Loving Grace | AI Safety, AGI & Consciousness

    JUL 8

    Dario Amodei: AI Utopia in 5 Years, or the End of Human Control? | Machines of Loving Grace | AI Safety, AGI & Consciousness

    Jeremy and Mark dissect Dario Amodei’s essay Machines of Loving Grace. Amodei is the CEO of Anthropic and predicts - if all goes right - an AI utopia where most physical and mental diseases are a memory, wealth and development is evenly distributed across the world, AI has not been hijacked by dictators and all the world's a beautiful stage. The hook? This could happen in five to ten years. Please enjoy the show. And share with a curious friend. -- Read the essay: https://www.darioamodei.com/essay/machines-of-loving-grace#fn:1 -- Follow and Support Thinking On Paper 🎙️PODCAST: www.thinkingonpaper.xyz 📸 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/ X: https://x.com/thinkonpaperpod -- Chapters (00:00) Machines Of Loving Grace (02:46) Dario Amodei's Definition Of Powerful AI (05:11) Speed Of The Outside World (07:24) Complexity (11:27) List Of Diseases AI Will Cure (13:46) Neuroscience And Mind (15:45) AI For Everyone? (21:33) Peace And Government (25:03) Work And Meaning (31:56) What's Meaningful? (34:27) Taking Stock -- Connect the dots of AI, quantum and emerging technology and watch these videos next:

    38 min
  6. Federico Faggin: Is the Universe Created by Conscious Selves? | Irreducible Book Club - Chapter 10 | Consciousness, Free Will & AI

    JUL 3

    Federico Faggin: Is the Universe Created by Conscious Selves? | Irreducible Book Club - Chapter 10 | Consciousness, Free Will & AI

    In Chapter 10 of Irreducible, Federico Faggin, Mark and Jeremy Think on Paper about the real architecture behind consciousness: The Seity. Quantum gremlins, seities want only to know. To know themselves and help the universe - The One - know itself. And the seities have been here from the beginning, because they are everything. Reality is a construction of seities and Good news ladies and gentlemen, Death isn't the end! Your consciousness lives on for eternity. Please enjoy the show. And share with a curious friend. -- Follow and support us please: 🎙️PODCAST: www.thinkingonpaper.xyz📷 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/ — Chapters (00:00) Federico Faggin, Irreducible Chapter 10 (02:10) Computers And Consciousness (03:31) Seities All The Way Down (10:25) Carl Jung Collective Consciousness (12:02) Quantum Freud (15:21) Robots, AI And Seities — Watch the book club on YouTube where you can get a chapter by chapter breakdown of Irreducible by Federico Faggin: https://www.youtube.com/@thinkingonpaper/videos

    19 min
  7. The Universe and the Meaning of Life | Federico Faggin, Irreducible Book Club - Chapter 9 | Consciousness, AI & Free Will

    JUL 1

    The Universe and the Meaning of Life | Federico Faggin, Irreducible Book Club - Chapter 9 | Consciousness, AI & Free Will

    Consciousness, life and free will exist from the very beginning as properties of the holistic whole (The One). According to Federico Faggin, the inanimate universe didn't come first, but derives from a deeper quantum reality inhabited by seities with consciousness and free will that communicate meaning with each other. In this week's Thinking on Paper Book Club, Mark and Jeremy read Chapter 9 of Irreducible by Federico Faggin and try to understand the meaning of life, the universe and everything in it.Please enjoy the show. And share with a curious friend. — 🎙️ Podcast: thinkingonpaper.xyz 📷 Instagram: @thinkingonpaperpodcast 📕 Book: Irreducible by Federico Faggin: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195480862 — Chapters (00:00) Chapter 9 of Irreducible, Federico Faggin (02:36) The Absurdity Of Classical Laws (04:26) Hilbert Space For Dummies (07:00) What Are Seities? (08:54) Science, Religion And Spirituality (11:46) Seities, Consciousness And Aliens (13:04) Conscious Units And How The Universe Understands (15:30) Are Seities Souls? (16:11) Seities And How You Have Life After Death — Key Takeaways Consciousness is not emergent. It’s fundamental Seities are conscious units inside a knowing universe Hilbert space may be the structure of inner reality Spirituality isn't narrative. It's architecture Growth is life. Stasis is death

    22 min
  8. Zen, Consciousness, and the Future of AI | Ram Srinivasan - The Conscious Machine, Future of Work & AGI

    JUN 25

    Zen, Consciousness, and the Future of AI | Ram Srinivasan - The Conscious Machine, Future of Work & AGI

    Can AI ever be aware? Can it be conscious, and if so, what would that mean for business and the future of work? In this week's show, Jeremy and Mark sit down with Ram Srinivasan, author of The Conscious Machine: From Artificial to Enlightened Intelligence, to think on paper about consciousness, Advaita Vedanta, panpsychism and why Eastern philosophy changes how we design every AI system. It might be the most important podcast on AI you listen to today. Rethinking work in an exponential age Linear mindsets can’t keep pace with automation. We explore how to direct AI toward human flourishing, not just efficiency.Trust as the new currency From autonomous agents to AI-native organizations, credibility, values and wisdom are the foundations of any lasting advantage. Please enjoy the show. And share it with a curious friend. -- Links & Resources Ram Srinivasan: https://www.ram-srinivasan.com/ The Conscious Machine: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4R9NJ53 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramsrinivasanmit/ Follow Thinking on Paper Podcast: www.thinkingonpaper.xyz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/ X: https://x.com/thinkonpaperpod -- Timestamps (00:00) Exploring the Future of Work and AI (00:53) The Intersection of Consciousness and Technology (03:44) Advaita Vedanta: Understanding Consciousness (06:40) Materialism vs. Non-Dualism in AI (14:25) The Shift from Knowledge to Wisdom (16:29) Post-Labor Economics and AI’s Role (19:01) Building Trust in AI Agents (21:46) The Currency of Trust in Business (26:35) The AI-Native Workplace: A New Era (30:37) Navigating Trust and Critical Thinking in AI (33:16) Human-Centric Technology: The Future of Work (35:33) What Should Humans Be? -- Watch Next Kevin Kelly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awZ5LRX8o6o&ab_channel=ThinkingOnPaper

    37 min
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Thinking On Paper gets up close and personal with AI, quantum computing, and the future of technology. Hosts Mark Fielding and Jeremy Gilbertson talk with CEOs, scientists, and cultural thinkers about how tech is redefining work, culture, and humanity. From Silicon Valley startups to Fortune 500 tech giants like IBM, they ask what it means to stay human and curious. Thursdays feature long-form interviews; Mondays, the Book Club breaks down essential books like Empire of AI, Nexus and Irreducible. Clear, curious, and critical. Listen now.

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