
“AI will never be able to…” I never hear anyone in tech say this anymore. But outside our little bubble, most people still underestimate AI.
Yesterday, I spent the day at New York Build, one of the largest construction conferences in America. I was shocked by how little people outside the technology industry really understand what’s happening in AI.
Normies Still Underestimate AI
“AI will never be able to understand what customers want.”
I heard an architect confidently make this claim on a panel yesterday. Another agreed with her.
I almost gagged.
Anyone in tech has long since given up trying to predict what AI cannot do.
Outside our industry, a lot of people still want to think that their work is somehow special. AI can do some of it, but cannot replace them.
I’m not buying it. Just this week, Google released a vibecoding tool that could replace most software engineers. Its design sense is far beyond most humans.
The general population has no idea what’s about to hit them.
AI Takes Way More Energy Than I Thought
“One Rubin chip requires as much cooling as 40 houses.”
I learned this incredible fact from a nice young man working at a booth near the entrance. He was selling HVAC systems, and data centers are one of his biggest customers.
I knew AI data centers required a ton of energy. But hearing from an expert on HVAC made me realize that the energy needs are far greater than I thought.
Just this morning, I wired for a new investment that will help data centers reduce their energy use. After chatting with this fella, I was very happy I made that bet.
More details soon…
How AI Can Help the Real Estate Industry
It seems like anyone who knows how to actually do anything in this country is about to retire. That’s especially true in real estate.
I listened to a panel with a facility manager who had managed some of the biggest buildings in New York City. He said most of his colleagues are retiring.
We should interview them with AI and put as much of their knowledge into the AI models as possible. Then we can run buildings more efficiently.
If we can run major commercial buildings better, the cost of housing will fall.
Wrap-Up
I got the idea for attending weird, non-tech conferences from Cyan Banister, one of the best early stage investors. She likes to immerse herself in the “general population.”
New York Build is a great way to do that. Most of the exhibitors sell stuff like pipe fittings and escalators, not SaaS.
I was shocked how unprepared a lot of people are for what’s coming with AI. But some folks, like the young HVAC salesman, get it and are profiting from it.
New York Build was a fascinating event — I’ll be back next year!
Have a great weekend, everybody!
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