Balaji Srinivasan: How AI Will Change Politics, War, and Money

a16z Podcast

a16z

Science, Innovation, Business, Entrepreneurship, Culture, Disruption, Software Eating The World, Technology

4.4 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 28 July 2025

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

a16z General Partners Erik Torenberg and Martin Casado sit down with technologist and investor Balaji Srinivasan to explore how the metaphors we use to describe AI—whether as god, swarm, tool, or oracle—reveal as much about us as they do about the technology itself. Balaji, best known for his work in crypto and network states, also brings a deep background in machine learning. Together, the trio unpacks the evolution of AI discourse, from monotheistic visions of a singular AGI to polytheistic interpretations shaped by culture and context. They debate the practical and philosophical: the current limits of AI, why prompts function like high-dimensional programs, and what it really takes to “close the loop” in AI reasoning. This is a systems-level conversation on belief, control, infrastructure, and the architectures that might govern future societies.

Transcript

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0:00.0	So polytheistic a GAI, I think, is one very useful macro frame.
0:04.4	It means every culture has their own AGI.
0:06.9	And eventually, every culture has their own social network and cryptocurrency and AI.
0:12.7	You know, the AI is sort of like their Oracle is at the center of society.
0:16.5	And they've got their deterministic law with cryptocurrency and the probabilistic guidance with AI.
0:21.5	The social network that binds the whole thing to us.
0:23.0	Those three technologies are like social technologies that are almost like the reactor core of the network state of a modern internet-first-scied.
0:30.0	The way we talk about AI often reveals more about us than the technology itself.
0:34.9	In this episode, I'm joined by technologist and founder Bologi
0:38.1	Sreenovassin, alongside A16Z general partner, Martine Casado, to unpack how our language,
0:44.6	whether reframe AI as a god, a swarm, or a tool, shapes our hopes and fears. Bology, known for his
0:50.9	work in crypto and network states, also has deep roots in machine learning.
0:55.0	Today, we explore where AI discourse has gone off course, what today's systems can and can't do,
1:00.0	and our different cultures might build very different AIs, each reflecting their own values and constraints.
1:06.0	It's a conversation about belief, control, and the systems we build.
1:10.0	Let's get into it.
1:13.8	As a reminder, the content here is for informational purposes only. Should not be taken as legal
1:18.4	business, tax, or investment advice, or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is
1:23.3	not directed at any investors or potential investors in any A16Z fund.
1:32.4	Please note that A16Z and its affiliates may also maintain investments in the companies discussed in this podcast.
1:39.8	For more details, including a link to our investments, please see A16Z.com forward slash disclosures.
1:47.9	Martine and I were talking offline about how amazing your thread was on AI.
	...

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