The Promptah No. 2: “Dare to Know!”

When German philosopher Immanuel Kant coined the phrase “Sapere aude” – Latin for “Dare to know” – it was meant as a rallying cry for the Age of Enlightenment. Born 300 years ago on April 22, 1724, as the son of a saddle maker, Kant became one of the leading voices of his time. He firmly believed in the advancement of knowledge and paved the way for our modern understanding of liberty and human rights.

“He insisted that when we think morally, we should abstract from the cultural differences that divide us and recognize the potential human dignity in every human being”, philosopher Susan Neiman wrote in a recent essay for the New York Times that explains “why the world still needs Kant today”.

Dare to Know: The new Promptah offers a broad spectrum of expert insights about AI, democracy, sustainability and more. Get your free PDF here.

A New Age of Enlightenment

We put Immanuel Kant on the cover of our second issue of The Promptah, DLD’s people magazine for curious minds, not just because of his 300th birthday anniversary, but because we feel that humanity is entering a new age of enlightenment.

Scientific knowledge advances at an unprecedented pace, across many domains. Frontier technologies like artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum computing have the potential to drive progress for decades, promising greater well-being for billions around the world.

At the same time, powerful technologies come with new risks and responsibilities. Artificial intelligence in particular – arguably the most disruptive technology in decades – demands scrutiny, given its broad range of applications, which can be beneficial or harmful on an unprecedented scale.

We invite you to download The Promptah for free and get expert insights from our DLD speaker community.

Many shades of AI: How is artificial intelligence impacting business, culture and science? Download your copy of The Promptah to find out.

AI Is Everywhere – for Good or Bad?

Amazon CTO Werner Vogels shares examples of how AI can help improve healthcare access, sustainable food production, smallholder farming and much more. Sarah Spiekermann (Vienna University) encourages us to “take a step back from the Matrix” and question the narrative that “tech becomes godlike, superhuman, with almost magical capabilities”.

Authors Gary Marcus and Kenneth Cukier examine the current state and future potential of AI – how much can ChatGPT and similar Large Language Models improve? Are they even the right approach? And what happens if, at some point, our own invention starts to eclipse the human intellect?

Artists Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst share experiences from their work with algorithms and tell us why they feel AI is “new, strange and exciting”. McKinsey analyst Michael Chui, meanwhile, explains where artificial intelligence is already bringing real benefits to businesses, how automation is likely to impact white-collar jobs and what you can do to prepare for the future of work.

The greening economy: Technology and sustainability go hand in hand. You’ll hear more at DLD Capital Nature from September 12–13, 2024 – please save the date!

Rethinking the Economy

Sustainability is at the core of several Promptah interviews and essays. Aenne Burda Award winner Sandrine Dixson-Declève illustrates why shifting to a regenerative economy would bring many benefits for both people and planet. Infineon board member Andreas Urschitz highlights the importance of green data centers and intelligent chip design to make our digital infrastructure ready for the path to Net Zero 2050. In addition, you can hear from Anne-Marie Großmann of German steelmaker GMH how difficult it is to shift to climate-friendly production processes – even if you have the best intentions.

We also look back at a recent DLD trip to Lagos, Nigeria, and highly recommend our interview with Chess master Tunde Onakoya, whose NGO Chess in Slums gives underprivileged children across Africa a chance to improve their lives through education.

Follow the money: Social and financial inclusion lie at the heart of a sustainable economy.

Spaces for Innovation

Other highlights include Lisa Witter’s essay on “10 Ways You Can Elevate Democracy”, BillEase CEO Georg Steiger’s deep dive into fintech solutions that promise to redefine economic inclusion in the Global South, and our conversation with Shamina Singh, the founder and President of Mastercard’s Center for Inclusive Growth, who explains why she defines AI as “Actionable Impact”.

We’re also moving to the edge of tomorrow with several articles. You can meet BMW engineer Stella Clarke who had the brilliant idea to give cars a way to change color at the push of a button. Former SpaceX top executive Bulent Altan explains why the rise of private space companies is bringing many benefits to all of us here on Earth – and why he believes that “outer space travel is right around the corner”.

To AI and beyond: Download the new Promptah issue for insights from Sarah Spiekermann, Kenneth Cukier, Juan Enriquez and Stella Clarke – among others.

Paper or Digital? Take Your Pick!

This Promptah is again a co-production of DLD and Burda Principal Investments, whose CEO Christian Teichmann analyzes the massive impact of gaming on the media industry. He also explains how generative AI is “transforming gamers into creators”.

And what would a magazine with Immanuel Kant on the cover be without a contribution by one of Germany’s best-known philosophers of today? In conversation with DLD, Alexander Kluge deconstructs a range of aspects related to AI that surely would have delighted Immanuel Kant – including the question of subjectivity, perceptions of reality and artificial intelligence competing with itself.

The art of inspiration: The Promptah takes you from London’s Serpentine Galleries to outer space and back to Kant and Kluge.

If you prefer to read The Promptah on paper, rather than download the PDF, our partner Lufthansa has a treat for you: The new Promptah issue will be available in select Lufthansa lounges in Germany and the U.S.

Whether in print or digital – grab your free copy, dive right in and dare to know what the future will bring!

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