[S5E8] What You Need to Know About AI with James Wang

Although the field of Artificial Intelligence has been around since the 1950s, it's only in the last few years, with the rise of Large Language Models (LLMs), that the general public has truly taken notice. Apps based on LLMs, like ChatGPT, have already upended the labor market, creating productivity gains in some roles, while eliminating others. In James Wang's new book, What You Need to Know About AI, he walks us through not only how modern machine learning works, but also what one needs to know to stay competitive in an AI-inclusive world. The book provides a wide perspective including historical context, practical advice, recent developments, and enough technical explanation to give everyone a sense of the possibilities and limits of this exciting technology. Join us as we talk to James about the book and this transformative time for our economy. Thank you to our friends at Audible for sponsoring this episode. Check out AudibleTrial.com/biz for a 30-day free trial of Audible and free credits toward an audio book. Show Notes What You Need to Know About AI via Amazon Weighty Thoughts James on X Follow us on X @BusinessBooksCo and join our Amazon book club. Edited by Giacomo Guatteri Find out more at https://businessbooksandco.comRead transcript

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini is one of the best-selling books on social psychology of all-time. Influence explains the essential ingredients that make what it calls "compliance professionals" (salespeople, marketers, negotiators) successful. Namely, seven levers of influence: reciprocation, liking, social proof, authority, scarcity, commitment, and unity. In this episode we’ll walk through all seven levers, share some of Cialdini’s memorable examples of each, and some areas where they have applied in our own careers. We’ll also discuss the merits of the book as a whole and what we most got out of reading Influence. Thank you to our friends at Audible for sponsoring this episode. Check out AudibleTrial.com/biz for a 30-day free trial of Audible and free credits toward an audio book like Influence. Show Notes Influence by Robert Cialdini via Amazon Season 4 Episode 1 How to Win Friends and Influence People via Business Books & Co. Follow us on X @BusinessBooksCo and join our Amazon book club. Edited by Giacomo Guatteri Find out more at http://businessbooksandco.comRead transcript

The development of quantitative trading has led to an enormous accumulation of wealth amongst a few large hedge funds. A pioneer in this space was Renaissance Technologies and its founder, Jim Simons. Instead of relying on traditional financial metrics and corporate news, quantitative models, like those utilized at Renaissance, look at much larger swaths of data fed into sophisticated machine learning algorithms. In this episode we discuss The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution by Gregory Zuckerman. Join us as to learn about how quantitative investing has changed the financial sector. Thank you to our friends at Audible for sponsoring this episode. Check out AudibleTrial.com/biz for a 30-day free trial of Audible and free credits toward an audio book like The Man Who Solved the Market. Show Notes The Man Who Solved the Market via Amazon Renaissance Technologies via Wikipedia Follow us on X @BusinessBooksCo and join our Amazon book club. Edited by Giacomo Guatteri Find out more at http://businessbooksandco.comRead transcript

Apple has deeply intertwined its business with the People’s Republic of China. In Apple in China, this fraught relationship is explored, including its implications for the future of manufacturing, high technology, and Apple’s survival. It's a deep investigative book on an under-reported subject, that's not afraid to dig into the history of Apple, the intricacies of manufacturing, and complex geopolitics. We were pleased to be joined by the author, Patrick McGee, who walked us through the highlights of his narrative. Thank you to our friends at Audible for sponsoring this episode. Check out AudibleTrial.com/biz for a 30-day free trial of Audible and free credits toward an audio book like Apple in China. Show Notes Apple in China via Amazon Apple in China Website Patrick McGee on X Follow us on X @BusinessBooksCo and join our Amazon book club. Edited by Giacomo Guatteri Find out more at http://businessbooksandco.comRead transcript

Bill Gates is known as the aggressive businessman who brought us Microsoft and pioneered the modern software business. But in his recent memoir, Source Code, we discover Trey, the kid with bad grades who resents his parents' authority. From childhood misfit to precocious teenage prodigy, he was a young person who never quite fit in but always had ambition. Source Code takes us through Bill Gates’s childhood, early entrepreneurial ventures, schooling, and the early years of Microsoft. Join us as we discuss the young Bill Gates. Thank you to our friends at Audible for sponsoring this episode. Check out AudibleTrial.com/biz for a 30-day free trial of Audible and free credits toward an audio book like Source Code. Show Notes Source Code by Bill Gates via Amazon BASIC: The Democratization of Computing via Kopec Explains Software Pirates of Silicon Valley via Amazon Idea Man by Paul Allen via Amazon Follow us on X @BusinessBooksCo and join our Amazon book club. Edited by Giacomo Guatteri Find out more at http://businessbooksandco.comRead transcript

John Romero is widely regarded as one of the greatest game developers of all time. In his 2023 autobiography, Doom Guy: Life in First Person, he recounts his journey from a sometimes difficult upbringing to the heights of fame and fortune. An award-winning game designer and programmer, Romero is the co-creator of some of the most influential games of all-time, including the genre-defining Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. While well known as an innovator in the PC, mobile, and social gaming spaces, Doom Guy also reveals Romero as an inspired and relentless entrepreneur who built the teams, culture, and business models required to create legendary games. We were privileged to be joined by John on the podcast to discuss his life, career, and of course, Doom Guy. Thank you to our friends at Audible for sponsoring this episode. Check out AudibleTrial.com/biz for a 30-day free trial of Audible and free credits toward an audio book like Doom Guy, narrated by John Romero himself. Show Notes Doom Guy by John Romero via Amazon Romero Games The Romero Shop John Romero on X John Romero on Instagram Follow us on X @BusinessBooksCo and join our Amazon book club. Edited by Giacomo Guatteri Find out more at http://businessbooksandco.comRead transcript

Daniel Kahneman is an award winning psychologist who made Nobel Prize winning contributions to the field of behavioral economics. In Thinking, Fast and Slow he recounts his research journey and makes digestible to the reader some of the key insights that may help them improve their decision making. Kahneman’s book introduced many now common terms into popular culture and helped illuminate the cognitive biases that we all face both at work and in our personal lives. Instead of tediously covering every facet of this long and sophisticated work, in this episode we will delve into the ideas that we found most interesting and that we think you can apply to your work and financial lives. Thank you to our friends at Audible for sponsoring this episode. Check out AudibleTrial.com/biz for a 30-day free trial of Audible and credits towards a free audiobook. Show Notes Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman via Amazon Daniel Kahneman on Wikipedia Magnus Carlsen on Joe Rogan Follow us on X @BusinessBooksCo and join our Amazon book club. Edited by Giacomo Guatteri Find out more at http://businessbooksandco.comRead transcript

Silicon legend Pat Gelsinger joins us to discuss his book The Juggling Act: Bringing Balance to Your Faith, Family, and Work. How do you live a balanced life, including prioritizing your faith and family, while achieving ambitious goals in the workplace? Pat, the former CEO of Intel, provides key strategies and insights that can help any working professional master the juggling act. We also discuss with Pat the appropriate place for faith and politics in the workplace. Show Notes The Juggling Act by Pat Gelsinger via Amazon Pat Gelsinger on X Pat Gelsinger on LinkedIn Follow us on X @BusinessBooksCo and join our Amazon book club. Edited by Giacomo Guatteri Find out more at http://businessbooksandco.comRead transcript

Season 4 of Business Books & Co. was comprised of nine highly regarded books, three author interviews, and one special guest. Join us as we look back at the highs and lows of the past season of the show. And we won't hold back—we'll tell you the books we loved, but also the ones we didn't. Plus we'll tell you what we're planning for season 5! We want to hear from you! Please fill out the feedback form linked below. Show Notes Season 4 Feedback Form via Google Forms Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman via Amazon (our first book of Season 5) Wrestling with Life by George Reinitz via Amazon (David K's pick) The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman via Amazon (David S's pick) Devolution by Max Brooks via Amazon (Kevin's pick) Business Books & Co. on YouTube Follow us on X @BusinessBooksCo and join our Amazon book club. Edited by Giacomo Guatteri Find out more at http://businessbooksandco.comRead transcript

First released in 2018, Atomic Habits by James Clear has quickly become one of the best-selling self-help books of all-time. Clear meticulously studied the psychology and practical side of forming good habits and eliminating bad habits. He then created an easy-to-read how-to manual that can be applied to just about any habit. We discuss the book's key takeaways and how they apply to our careers and personal lives. Show Notes Atomic Habits by James Clear via Amazon Atomic Habits Website Follow us on X @BusinessBooksCo and join our Amazon book club. Edited by Giacomo Guatteri Find out more at http://businessbooksandco.comRead transcript