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Ron Levy - The New Host Of The Edge Of AI Podcast
The convergence of Web3 and AI is growing bigger by the day, and we can’t help but marvel at the imaginative use cases that are being dreamt up and developed as we sleep. To explore some of these innovations, we are joined in by Ron Levy, the host of the new AI podcast, Edge of AI. From futuristic fashion innovations that personalize your shopping experience to cutting-edge deepfake detection technologies safeguarding personal identities, explore the limitless potential of these two transformative technologies colliding. Uncover the impact of AI in various industries and its role in shaping a dynamic and interconnected future, where Web3 and AI together create new opportunities and possibilities yet to be imagined. Join in!
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Ron Levy - The New Host Of The Edge Of AI Podcast
This is Ron Levy. I’m beyond thrilled to host the Edge of AI Podcast, the next great endeavor from the Edge of Company. If you like the Edge of NFT, you will love the Edge of AI. Stay tuned to hear more about what’s to come.
NFT-curious audiences, stay tuned for this episode to learn more about the Edge of AI Podcast, its captain, and some of the incredible early guests. Let’s hear about the Web3 and AI convergence that’s already begun and where it might be going next. Finally, hear how one man’s prized motorbike and a tank of gas serve as a fix for just about any problem.
It’s official. You can now dive into the captivating world of artificial intelligence with the Edge of AI Podcast. Join us as we explore the frontiers of AI and its impact on our lives. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform and follow us on Twitter @EdgeOf_AI and LinkedIn for exciting updates and insights. You can also visit our new website at EdgeOfAI.xyz.
Our guest is none other than the esteemed host of our newest broadcast, the Edge of AI Podcast. His name is Ron Levy. I’ll give a little bit about Ron before we welcome him to the show. As Cofounder and CEO of The Crypto Company Inc., Ron has led one of the first publicly traded entities within the blockchain industry. His company extends services spanning technology, consultation, and training. A significant branch of this venture is Blockchain Training Alliance, trusted by government agencies and leading global companies for quality blockchain education.
In addition to this, Ron is a Cofounder of Redwood Fund LP, which specializes in investing in small-cap companies. He also boasts a successful stint as the Founder and CEO of a renowned custom home-building company in Los Angeles, California. One of his current roles includes serving as a Cofounder and Director of Crypto Roundtable, a membership community aimed at fostering understanding and awareness of Web3, digital assets, and blockchain applications. Beyond his entrepreneurial ventures, Ron is a speaker and inspirational leader serving his companies and communities with unwavering character and commitment. Ron, welcome to Edge of NFT as well as Edge of AI.
Thanks so much, Eathan. I appreciate that great intro. It was like going back in the past for me. It made me tired just hearing it but I can’t tell you how thrilled I’ve been here watching what Edge of AI has done from day one.
We appreciate you, Ron. That intro hits home for me in terms of why we wanted you to be our captain on the Edge of AI voyage because you have such a unique and diverse entrepreneurial experience that crossed all sorts of different industries. That’s what Edge of AI is all about. It’s this cross-cutting conversation because AI is oozing into the pores of every aspect of society. Let’s start by diving into some of that background I mentioned and learn a little bit more about how you got into the tech space. What’s that journey been like for you? What are some of the early beginnings there?
The first early beginning goes back to the zeros when I was running my construction and real estate development company. In my sector, I was one of the largest in LA, which I was very proud of. A gentleman showed up on my job site wanting to develop a project management software. I’ll spare you the long story but he wanted to use my company as a guinea pig to do it. I always liked to be a little advanced in tech, so I said yes. It was one guy driving around with some laptops and working with my guys to develop his product. Fast forward 15 to 20 years, and he got a $4 billion company.
Having watched that happen, I thought, “That’s interesting.” I took note of that. Ultimately, through other things, I ended up starting The Crypto Company and getting to know crypto and blockchain. It was like a magnet for me for a lot of reasons. I love the decentralization philosophy. I really fell into it. I’m by nature a curious person. I went deep and I loved being around all the other people that are attracted to that, projects, and building things. It has been a seamless natural fit.
That hits home for me. One special factoid for our audience here is Eathan and I met through the round table that you moderate. It was this consortium of polymaths talking about where the world is going. It’s not surprising that AI is now a conversation that we want to be part of because we’re all attracted to that energy around conversations about what’s disrupting society and how it is going to make all sorts of things happen. Another part of your personality and your hobbies that we should talk about is your world travel energy. I have that travel bug. I know Richard does. We have talked about it before. Eathan does as well. How has that fit into shaping your perspective on these types of things?
Probably the main part about it has a big impact on my life. A lot of those wilder travels were a lot of years ago. However, some of the lessons stuck with me. When you’re by yourself in the middle of the jungle, and you got bad things and bad people after you, you learn something. I was around tribal culture. You learn something there. I lived in fully communist countries for years that were very heavy-handed communism. I can keep going with different religions.
When you see the results of all these things, you get a different perspective. That’s why coming back here to the United States and working here is yet one more perspective, which we’re immersed in but I didn’t end up taking any of it for granted. It was something to measure it against. When Web3 showed up, for me, it was natural. I could look at how this decentralization of Web3 could help every type of society I was part of in theory. I thought, “That’s a very unique quality.” It has been amazing. Whatever excitement we had in blockchain, you can put multiples of that on top of AI with what’s happening.
Through traveling the world, you start to meet and get a lot of experiences that crossover into the world of entrepreneurship. If you put out energy and try to meet different people, serendipity starts to happen. On your voyage, you serendipitously found us in our cross paths. There have been a lot of cool things that are happening now as we dive into the world of AI as you’re alluding to. Can you talk through the story of how it was that you were able to cross paths with us, and now becoming a host of our new show?
It’s such an amazing point you made. There was an art form. When I used to land in a new city, I would be nervous and have adrenaline pumping at the same time, “I don’t know anybody here. How am I going to get started?” You develop art forms and realize every place you go is defined by the people you meet. I’ll give you one example. There was one town I went into. I got into a cab the very first day I was there. The cabbie talked me into going somewhere, and I went there. It was like, “This is not how I want to start my journey.” It was what I didn’t want.
I remember sitting in my hotel room that night and going, “How do I change that?” In my mind, I came up with the idea, “I’m going to go downtown tomorrow and go where people would go for happy hour. After that, I’m working because those people seem to be what might give me the experience I wanted.” It worked tremendously but it’s a matter of stepping back. None of that is genius but it’s a matter of not taking things for granted. You step back and do that.
I’m very proud of Crypto Roundtable when I started it. I’m not going to get into naming names but great projects and great people have come out of it. Most of those people showed up out of intrigue and curiosity. The lesson and the big learning is anybody can move forward, and more than anything, I would like to think I can deliver this. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are. If you choose to, you can do it. Make one relationship. Take one move. A lot of people did that.
It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, if you choose to, you can do it. Click To Tweet
I do remember the day that Josh called me up. He happens to be local in LA. I had never met him face-to-face before that. He said, “Do you want to meet me at 3rd Street?” We did. I remember that conversation. It was about the future. It was about skating to where the puck is going to be. We talked about that. I see Edge of Company as a result of that. I give myself about 1% credit for some inspiration. The founders have done ridiculous amounts of work to build it into what it is but it’s amazing.
AI does that as well because as you will see in the Edge of AI Podcast of which we film some of them, the subjects are completely varied. It’s not a tech show even though it’s a tech show. It’s like, “Holy heck. Look what’s going on.” Whether it’s curiosity about it, whether they’re looking for a career change, or whether they’re looking for a place to invest money, it doesn’t matter. It’s all there. I don’t know where else to go to get that information. It’s going to be amazing. I can’t tell you how thankful I am to become the host of it and be able to be part of the launch.
For the audiences out there who are curious about the new podcast, a few inklings there show up where Ron is hosting things. You might come out of it, whether you like it or not, with a new business venture, a cool insight, a new career, or something like that. There are no promises but Ron has a little bit of a lucky charm status in that respect, which I don’t even know if we thought of before we brought him on board as the host. There are so many other great reasons.
I would love to chat a little bit about the show with you for a minute. You and I have been behind the scenes doing some recordings. I’m acting a little bit more as a producer of this one, although I have recorded a couple of episodes as host. Before we forget, we have been talking about the Edge of AI Podcast. We should mention, before people get too impatient, where you can subscribe and learn more about it. EdgeOfAI.xyz is the website. If you go to EdgeOfAI.xyz/subscribe, then you can easily subscribe on all major platforms.
We’re going live on TV very quickly as well. You can check us out on the DeFiance network. On Twitter, we’re @EdgeOf_AI. On LinkedIn, the company name is EdgeOfAI. You can keep up with everything going on. Back to the regularly scheduled programming here, by the time this episode airs, Ron, we will have launched on August 2nd, 2023. You’re front and center for the recordings of the early episodes. I want to chat a bit about what you’ve done so far. Are there any general comments before we dive into some of the specific episodes?
The general comment is sometimes I’ve gotten the name of a company and/or person that we’re going to be doing the interview with. Right away, my thought is, “I’m not sure why we’re doing this. This may not be that exciting,” but inevitably, it’s amazing. Now I get it. That speaks to AI. AI is putting itself into everything we do and any company will do. There’s nothing that it’s not going to touch.
You can go across any sector. The great thing is it’s entrepreneurs that are deciding which niche to tackle and it’s just blue sky. You can pick anything and it’s out there. We will get into some of what we have done. It’s everything from deepfakes on the true AI side all the way to clothes, believe it or not. It’s truly amazing. You’re going to find it. I’m going to rewatch them because there’s so much information. It’s crazy.
You mentioned the entrepreneurial side. Interestingly, we’ve got several facets which you’ve also been involved in but you attracted the entrepreneurial side of things. We’ve got experts who are building the tech behind the scenes of how AI works, how has machine learning worked, how has it worked for decades, and how it has been built. We’ve also got artists and creators coming on as well as people who are using the tech in interesting ways, which we’re calling use cases. We caught this person doing something amazing using AI. It’s not necessarily a business or something like that but it’s a cool project that they’re doing. Let’s check it out and have them show us how it comes together.
Maybe since you mentioned the entrepreneurial side of things, why don’t we skip right over to one of those use-case examples of Galen Oakes of Future Factory? It was one of the earliest recordings you and I did. Galen was doing some amazing things in Midjourney. We asked him to share how, and he very kindly did. We will have the videos up. What was your impression of Galen? What did you think of that episode? What did you take away from it?
What I loved is they’re using AI with Midjourney and creating artwork with it. That part is fantastic and I love it. What they’re doing that I see is fairly unique but not 100% unique is they’re also providing a physical space in multiple cities. You can join. That criteria quite honestly is that you’re interested in spending time in it and being active. As long as you are, it’s welcome. There’s one in LA. You get a membership, and you will be showing up and be around like-minded people.
That to me is super powerful and amazing. They’re opening in other cities. By the time this airs, they may be open in New York. I don’t want to speak for them. They are opening in other cities. They’re getting great adoption. It’s this combination of Web3 with the physical space, which is an area that needs growing. It’s that personal contact with people.
You bring up something pretty interesting. This is something Richard and I see as well as we talk to folks that might be potential guests on the show. We’re straddling the curation side of both Edge of NFT and Edge of AI. There is this convergence, and that convergence usually involves a mix of digital and IRL. That’s important to mind meld. If people want to get together, they don’t want to just create the art. They want to show it off. They want to talk about how they did it.
We’re excited about the live podcast format for that reason. We have one that will have already happened before this show comes out. If you’ve been checking our newsletter, you know about our launch party on August 2nd, 2023. We love those guys at Future Factory because they’re creating a home for disruption and innovation. They helped with Outer Edge LA. One can imagine that we can accelerate the learning curve of using AI for good and impact if we not only use it for art as Galen is doing, but we could provide a place where people could talk about how they’re using it.
What you said speaks to one of the commonalities we have between me and my companies, and you and Edge Of. That’s education. Edge Of Company is a media company, make no mistake. In my mind, they’re an education company. The idea is to educate people with everything you do. We have been doing that for years in this industry. Something like Future Factory does even more of it. Face-to-face get-togethers are everything. If you do only the other side, something is truly missing. To bring that in at this stage the way they’re doing it is fantastic.
To recap too the general flow of how that’s all coming together, we’re all insiders on it but we have been seeing things behind the scenes. Future Factory is this amazing event space started by Paul Hemming, as well as an incredible team that he’s brought together to do things. That team includes Galen Oakes. He is the Creative Director of the project.
They needed membership passes with an NFT attached to them because they want to be at the cutting edge of things. They needed imagery for those 10,000 profile pictures. Instead of doing the typical route of mixing and matching using randomization of different properties, Galen found a way to create these very unique but intricate character faces that have dissimilarity. They’re unique. There are different tribes of them but then also, he was able to create a cohesive feeling to all of these images even though there are 10,000 of them.
If you’ve tried to use Midjourney to create cool images, you could do that, but to create consistent images, we were impressed with what he had done. Those images that Galen was creating were for the NFT passes to be a member of Future Factory. Future Factory is the organization that Ron has been talking about. Is there anything else to add about that episode? Richard, were you going to say something?
There are a lot of cool things. I remember you talking about this. Weaving into another episode that I know you spent a lot of cool time on is Joris Mollinga with DuckDuckGoose who talked about deepfakes and video images. Can we dive a little bit more into that one? I thought that was a cool one.
I’m happy to kick it off a little bit. It was truly amazing. First of all, Joris is out of the Netherlands. It shows how international this whole thing is. You don’t even ask anymore, typically. You’re just talking to people, and they’re doing things. It doesn’t even matter anymore. Deepfakes are a big deal. We all know that. It’s one of the scary things that’s going on.
For instance, if you’re looking at someone’s face, you can run it through his technology. It will give you a heat map on it and say, “That nose is a fake. With 90% surety, this is a deepfake.” They can say, “With 90% surety, this is the real deal.” They’re creating libraries. It’s amazing what they’re doing. This is the industry solving what the industry knows is a problem and is going to become a problem, and designing the solutions off the bat. He’s an amazing guy doing an amazing job.
Edge Of AI: This is the industry solving what the industry knows is a problem and is going to become a problem, designing the solutions off the bat.
With some of the cool stuff that they’re doing too, Joris made a point to stress explainability as an important component of what we bring to AI. Ron and I were like, “Explain explainability. What does that mean?” It’s not that complicated once you understand what the term means. We have AI being able to do things for us, but we don’t always have AI telling us how or why it did what it did. What they’re doing over there at DuckDuckGoose is saying, “We think this image is a deepfake. Here’s the type of deepfake that we think it is. Here are a couple of different types of deepfakes that we know people use.”
For example, he gave a face mash. It was two unique individuals that they made look like one entirely new person. It was Joris and one of his co-founders. You looked at the face, and you were like, “That’s a guy. I don’t know him. I don’t know where he lives but that’s a person.” Their software says, “That’s not a person. Here’s why we don’t think that’s a person because we think it’s a face mash.” They had something called lip sync. There are different types of faking that get done. You were able to say what percentage or likelihood these different types were used.
Eathan, it reminds me of the time that we tried to merge together your face, my face, and Jeff’s face. Someone wanted to create an NFT for us. We were trying to figure it out, “How do we create an NFT of a person when there are three of us?” That was a little bit of an ugly mashup of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and carrots altogether. It did make me wonder when you were having that convo. Did the idea of using these deepfakes for authentication hacking come up? I’m thinking about bank robberies and personal identity robberies. That’s one concern I have with deepfakes. I’m curious if that came up in the convo at all.
What did you do before joining us on the show?
You were the one that called her.
What are you going to do after the show?
EdgeOfAI.xyz/subscribe** or EdgeOfAI.xyz@EdgeOf_AILinkedIn.com/company/EdgeOfAI. Keep up with what we’re doing.**