Substantive Conversations at Web Summit Vancouver
Web Summit’s Vancouver debut maintained the global technology conference’s signature elements, including dubstep and a lightshow, but shifted focus to meaningful discussions about the current tech state. The opening night featured New York University professor emeritus Gary Marcus and Bluesky CEO Jay Graber discussing the limitations of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and the potential of decentralized social media.
Gary Marcus, an American psychologist and AI entrepreneur, emphasized that he isn’t a critic of AI but believes generative AI is the “wrong avenue.” He argued that the technology is fundamentally based on prediction and incapable of reasoning, stating, “It’s auto-complete on steroids, and that gives the illusion of intelligence, but it’s really just an illusion.” Marcus highlighted the risks of misinformation and cybercrime associated with generative AI, noting that its ‘stupidity’ can lead to significant dangers when given too much power.
In contrast, Jay Graber shared her vision for decentralized social media through Bluesky, a platform she leads that has grown to 35 million users since its 2023 launch. Graber emphasized that Bluesky is built on the principle that users deserve control over their experience, including the ability to port their identity to other platforms and build new tools. “Bluesky is not the end goal,” Graber said. “It’s the start. We built an open-source app that’s the lobby to the social internet, and hopefully, there will be many other applications and users will be able to move between them.”
Bluesky’s approach includes constraints to prevent the same pressures faced by other social media platforms, with plans to monetize through subscriptions and a marketplace. Graber stressed the importance of humility in building critical communication infrastructure, keeping open the possibility that alternative solutions could emerge if Bluesky fails to deliver on certain aspects.
The discussions at Web Summit Vancouver highlighted the ongoing challenges and opportunities in the tech industry, from the limitations of current AI technologies to the potential of decentralized social media platforms to create a more open and user-friendly web.
