All right, let's dive in.
Today we're gonna be talking about AI infrastructure.
Ooh, sounds exciting.
It is actually.
It might not sound like the most thrilling topic, but.
I know, right?
Infrastructure.
Yeah, but we're basically talking about like
the keys to the AI kingdom, right?
Who's building this tech?
Who's partnering up?
And what are the stakes in this whole global power play?
High stakes.
Super high.
I actually, I've got some notes here from a conversation
with an AI expert who is just at this huge
international summit in Paris.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, and things are getting really interesting.
I bet.
So one of the things that really struck me was
how AI is being talked about now.
It's not just like, you know, another cool gadget.
Right.
It's being recognized as this like general purpose technology.
Like electricity or the printing press?
Exactly.
Those are like huge game changers, right?
Exactly.
And that's what's so fascinating is like,
it's being recognized as on that level now.
It's not just some, you know, fun little thing.
It's like.
It's fundamental.
Yeah, it really is.
So help me understand this a little bit more.
What's the big deal to have this general purpose idea?
Why is that comparison so important?
Well, you know, think about it.
Electricity completely changed how we live and work.
The printing press transformed how we share information.
And it's not just that they were inventions.
It's that they completely reshaped the world.
Like how we interact with the world.
Now they changed everything.
They changed everything.
And that's what, you know, world leaders
are starting to see with AI.
They're seeing that potential.
Exactly.
It's like this key to unlocking, you know, all this progress.
And so, you know, you had both President Macron
and Prime Minister Modi at this summit in Paris.
And both of them were emphasizing
how absolutely crucial it is for any country that wants to,
you know, stay ahead of the curve.
So it's not just about having a cool AI gadgets.
It's about having the actual infrastructure
to build and control that technology.
100%.
Yeah, there's this increasing sense of infrastructure
independence.
Infrastructure independence.
Like this idea that countries are realizing that they can't just
rely on other countries for their AI needs.
You know, they need to have that foundation themselves.
You know, the chips, the data centers, the models, all of it.
They want to own it.
Yeah, they don't want to be dependent on someone else
for something this crucial.
OK, so where does the US fit into all of this?
Because, you know, we're always talking about, you know,
competition, especially with China.
Are we talking like another space race, but with AI this time?
You could definitely say that.
Yeah, the US is very, very focused on keeping its lead,
especially with China making huge strides.
Right.
And there's a really big push to ensure that AI models that
are American made or by our allies or open source
can really hold their own against anything else out there.
Compete on a global stage.
Exactly.
Yeah, Judy Vance, who is an expert on the USAI strategy,
she spoke at the summit about this very thing.
That's fascinating.
So the US wants to make sure it can compete.
But what about everyone else?
What about other countries who, you know,
maybe don't have the resources of a superpower?
What options do they have?
That's where it gets really strategic, right?
Because they basically have a choice to make.
Build their own AI infrastructure from scratch,
buy it from someone else, or partner with another nation.
Build, buy, or partner.
So it's like a high stakes game of risk.
It kind of is.
And the stakes are huge because, you know,
this isn't just about technology.
It's about global power.
Absolutely.
So let's unpack these options a little bit.
Let's talk about build.
Building your own infrastructure sounds incredibly expensive.
It's massively expensive.
It's complex.
Yeah, you're not wrong.
It requires a ton of investment, like top talent.
You need access to all the cutting edge resources.
Not for the same of heart.
Definitely not, yeah.
I mean, to be a real player in AI,
you need what are being called hyper centers.
Hyper centers.
What are those?
So it's kind of like, you know, imagine
a super powered Silicon Valley.
Oh, OK.
Right, they're these regions with just massive computing
power, tons of data, the best talent, you know,
the whole package.
The whole shebang.
Yeah.
And right now, honestly, the US and China
are the only real hyper centers.
So if you're not one of those two,
build is a long and costly road.
It is, yeah.
Really tough to pull off.
OK, so maybe buy is a little bit more appealing.
You just, you know, cut a check and get your AI
infrastructure delivered, right?
Right.
It's tempting, for sure.
I mean, you skip the whole development phase,
you can get started faster.
But there's a but.
There's always a but.
You're basically handing over a lot of control.
You become reliant on the vendor for updates, support,
potentially even security.
Right.
And you might be limited in what you can actually do
with the tech.
So buy comes with strings attached.
Definitely does.
All right, so what about partner?
What's the upside there?
Partnering can be a really smart move,
especially if you're a country that
doesn't have all the resources to go in alone.
By pooling expertise and resources,
you can get into the AI game faster
and carve out your own little niche.
This sounds especially interesting for US allies,
particularly those in Europe.
I mean, could we see some transatlantic AI power
couples emerging?
It's a real possibility.
There's a ton of potential for US-Europe collaboration,
especially if they share values and concerns about AI.
We could see countries working together
on different levels of that whole infrastructure stack,
like some specialize in the chips,
others focus on specific models.
There's this really interesting vibe shift at the summit
from what I heard.
Oh.
Yeah.
Previous summits were like really pessimistic about AI risks.
But in Paris, there was this definite sense of, hey,
maybe we can work together and actually make this thing
benefit everyone.
That's a really interesting change in attitude.
So what about France specifically?
I mean, they hosted the summit.
What are their game plan?
How are they building up their own AI infrastructure?
France is definitely making moves, yeah.
They have this strength in nuclear energy,
which is crucial for those power hungry data centers.
Oh, yeah, of course.
But they really need to catch up on actually building
the data centers themselves.
So it sounds like they might be looking to partner
to fill that gap.
Yeah, they're definitely open to it.
They're already talking with American chip companies,
like NVIDIA, which are major players in the AI hardware
world.
Makes sense.
OK, so we've got this global race for AI dominance, right?
Countries choosing to build, buy, or partner.
But there's another layer to this, isn't there?
This whole open source versus closed source debate.
What's the latest on that?
It's a big one.
And the gap between those two approaches
is shrinking fast, which is really shaking things up.
Remind me, what's the difference between open source
and closed source AI?
So open source AI is like a shared recipe.
Anyone can access the code.
They can tweak it, build their own applications on top of it.
Close source is more like a secret recipe, right?
Developed by a specific company, kept under wraps.
So open is about collaboration, closed is about control.
Exactly.
And for a while, there was this assumption
that closed source models, especially those
by big US tech companies, were just so advanced,
open source couldn't compete.
But that's changing.
It is.
Open source is catching up fast.
Think about chat GPT.
Oh, yeah, the chat bot, everyone's talking about that.
That's the one released December 5th by Open AI.
Less than two months later, DeepSeek, a Chinese company,
released a comparable model.
Wow.
That's a tight turnaround.
It is.
Things are moving so fast.
OK, so I got to ask, what does all of this
mean for me or anyone else who's not an AI expert?
But trying to understand where this is all going,
what should we be paying attention to?
It's a great question.
And it leads us to this really interesting perspective
from a venture capital firm, Andreessen Hortowitz, or A16Z,
as they're called.
A16Z, OK.
They're big in the tech world, heavily invested,
and they're putting a lot of faith, a lot of money,
into open source AI.
I'm intrigued.
Why, what makes a firm like that so bullish on open source?
Well, it's not just idealism, though.
They do have this strong belief in making technology
accessible.
They're savvy investors.
They see open source as this potential gold mine.
A gold mine?
How so?
How do you make money off something that's freely available?
Think about it like this.
Open source software has been the foundation of the internet,
like Linux.
It powers a huge chunk of the web.
Companies build businesses on top of it.
They offer services, support.
They customize it.
A16Z believes the same can happen with AI.
The open source AI provides the base,
then companies specialize, build specific stuff
on top of it.
Exactly.
It's about creating this whole ecosystem
where innovation just flourishes.
And history shows us that open source
can be a seriously powerful driver of progress.
OK.
That makes sense.
But I'm sure there are still people out there who believe
that their real breakthroughs are going
to come from those big, well-funded, closed AI labs.
Oh, absolutely, there are.
And those labs have definitely had some amazing results.
No doubt.
But the open source community is like right on their heels.
And there's this argument to be made
that open source might actually be better for handling
all the ethical challenges we talked about.
Oh, how so?
Transparency.
It's key.
With open source models, anyone can
see how the algorithms work.
They can look for biases, suggest improvements.
It's like this global team of auditors,
constantly scrutinizing the tech.
The more eyes, the better.
Exactly.
Catch those potential problems early.
So A16Z sees this as not just a business strategy,
but a way to steer AI in a more ethical direction.
Exactly, yeah.
Building AI that's powerful, but also responsible.
AI for good, as you said.
That's it.
That's the goal.
OK, so let's zoom out for a second.
We talked about the US and China
being those dominant AI hyper-centers right now.
What are the implications of that?
Are we heading toward a winner-takes-all situation?
It's definitely a huge point of attention, for sure.
Both countries see AI as crucial for the economy,
for their militaries.
Right, makes sense.
But I wouldn't say it's a simple winner-takes-all.
Remember, other countries have choices, build, buy, or partner.
And for many, partnering seems like the most attractive option.
Especially for US allies, right?
It lets them tap into American tech and expertise
while still having some control.
Exactly.
And we're already seeing this happen.
The US is encouraging collaborations, especially with Europe.
There's a lot of talk about a transatlantic AI alliance
to counter China's influence.
Interesting.
So how does all of this play out for France specifically?
We talked about their strengths and weaknesses with AI infrastructure.
What role do you see them playing?
France has a lot to offer, yeah?
Strong research, talented workforce,
and a government that's committed to investing in AI.
But as we said, they've got to catch up on data centers.
And that's where those partnerships come in.
Right, like with the US, with American ship companies.
Exactly.
They could become like a hub for AI research in Europe,
attract talent and investment.
So yeah, I think they have a big role to play.
This is painting a really complex picture.
Nations competing open source versus closed source,
the race to build hyper centers.
It feels like the future of AI is still very much up for grabs.
It absolutely is.
And that's what makes it so fascinating to watch.
The decisions made in the next few years
will shape how AI impacts all of us.
All right, so let's talk about those decisions.
We keep coming back to this build, buy, or partner dilemma.
What advice would you give to a country that's
trying to figure out their AI strategy?
What are the things they need to consider?
That's a tough one, because there's no one-size-fits-all answer.
All depends on the resources, their goals, their risk tolerance.
But if I had to offer some general guidance,
I'd say first, be realistic about your strengths and weaknesses.
Don't try to be everything to everyone.
Play to your strengths.
Exactly.
Find your niche.
Second, think long term.
This isn't a sprint.
It's a marathon.
Building a solid AI ecosystem takes time.
Yeah, I've got to have that sustained investment.
You do.
No overnight miracles here.
And finally, don't be afraid to collaborate.
Partnering can really speed things up.
Access to resources and expertise,
you might not have yourself.
Exactly.
It's not just about competing.
It's about finding the right partners.
Makes sense.
So in the AI world, it sounds like collaboration is key.
It really is.
Yeah, more than ever.
OK, I want to shift gears a bit and talk
about the bigger picture, the geopolitical entity.
We mentioned before the US and China,
those two dominant AI hyper-centers.
What are the implications of that?
Is it going to be like a winner takes all kind of thing?
It's definitely a major point of tension.
That's for sure.
All countries see AI as absolutely essential
for their economies, their militaries.
Yeah, high stakes.
Really high.
But I wouldn't say it's a simple winner takes all.
Remember, other countries have choices.
They can build, buy, or partner.
And for many, partnering seems like the best option.
Especially for US allies.
They get to use American technology and expertise,
but still maintain a degree of autonomy.
100%.
And that's already playing out.
The US is actively encouraging these collaborations,
particularly with Europe.
That transatlantic AI alliance we were talking about?
Yeah, exactly.
Trying to counter China's influence.
Makes sense.
So how does this affect France?
We've talked about their strengths, their weaknesses,
and AI infrastructure.
Where do they fit in?
France has a lot to offer.
Strong research base, a talented workforce.
And the government is really committed to investing in AI.
But like we said, they need to catch up on data centers.
That's where partners come in.
Makes sense.
We talked about collaborations with American chip companies.
Do you see them becoming like a key player in this transatlantic
AI alliance?
I think it's very likely, yeah.
France has a lot to gain from working with the US.
And they bring a lot to the table.
It could be like a central hub for research and development
in Europe.
Attract talent, investment, the whole thing.
This all paints a really complex picture.
Nations competing, open source versus closed source,
this race to build hypercenter.
It feels like the future of AI is still very much undecided.
It is.
It really is, yeah.
And that's what makes it so fascinating.
And the decisions made in the next few years,
they're going to have a huge impact on how AI shapes our world.
Absolutely.
So let's circle back to that build by or partner dilemma.
What advice would you give to a country trying to figure out
its AI strategy?
What are the key factors they should be thinking about?
It's a tough question.
No easy answers.
Because there's no one size fits all solution.
It depends on their resources, their goals,
how much risk they're willing to take.
But if I had to give some general guidance,
Yeah.
What would you say?
First, be honest with yourself about what you're good at,
what you're not.
Don't spread yourself too thin.
Find those areas where you have a real edge.
Play to your strengths, like we said.
Yeah, exactly.
Find your niche.
Second, this is a long game.
Don't expect results overnight.
Building a strong AI ecosystem takes time
and consistent investment.
Got to be in it for the long haul.
You do.
And finally, don't be afraid to team up.
Find the right partners, people who share your vision.
Working together can really accelerate your progress.
So it's not just about competition.
It's about collaboration.
More than ever, yeah.
In the AI world, that's how you succeed.
This has been an incredible deep dive.
We've covered so much from the technical stuff
to the geopolitical landscape to the ethical considerations.
Is there anything else you think our listeners should
keep in mind as they try to make sense of this whole AI world?
I think the most important thing is to just stay curious,
stay engaged.
AI is constantly changing.
So keep learning, keep asking questions,
be part of the conversation.
Don't be a passive observer.
Get involved.
Exactly.
This technology has the power to completely transform
our world in good ways and bad.
We need to make sure it's used for good.
AI for good.
I love that.
That's the goal, right?
It is.
Well said.
And on that note, I think it's time to wrap up this deep dive.
But before we go, we want to leave you with one final thought.
AI is this incredibly powerful tool.
Like any tool, it can be used for good or for bad.
The choices we make today, they're
going to determine how AI shapes our world for generations
to come.
So we encourage you to really think about the things
we've discussed, stay informed, and be part of the conversation.
How do we want to shape the future of AI?
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive.
I'd say start by being honest with yourself about what
you're good at and what you're not.
Right.
Like we were saying, play to your strengths.
Yeah, find your niche.
Don't try to do everything.
Focus.
Exactly.
And then think long term.
This isn't a sprint.
It's a marathon.
It really is, yeah.
Building a strong AI ecosystem, it takes time,
consistent investment.
Don't expect to see results overnight.
Yeah, to be patient.
You do.
And then finally, don't be afraid to collaborate.
Find those partners.
Yeah, find the right partners.
People who stare your vision, working together,
it can really make a difference,
really speed up your progress.
So in the AI world, it sounds like it's not just
about competition.
It's about collaboration.
Yeah.
More than ever, that's the key to success.
This has been such a fascinating deep dive.
I feel like we've covered so much
from the technical details of infrastructure,
to the big geopolitical picture, to the ethical questions.
It's a lot.
Yeah, I feel like to think about.
It is.
Is there anything else you think
our listeners should keep in mind
as they're trying to navigate this whole AI world?
I think the most important thing is to just stay curious.
Stay engaged.
Yeah, exactly.
AI is constantly changing.
So keep learning.
Keep asking questions.
Don't just be a bystander.
Be a part of the conversation.
Be an active participant.
Yes.
This technology has the potential to completely transform
our world in good ways and bad.
It's up to us to make sure it's used for good, right?
Like you said, AI for good.
That's it.
That's the goal.
Well said.
Well, I think it's about time to wrap up this deep dive.
But before we go, we want to leave you with one final thought.
AI is a powerful tool.
And just like any tool, it can be used for good or for bad.
The choices we make today, they're
going to determine how AI shapes our world for generations
to come.
So we encourage you to really think
about the things we've discussed, stay informed,
and be a part of the conversation.
How do we want to shape the future of AI?
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive.