THE

SECONDARY

MARKET

ISSUE 003

September 29, 2023 12pm-1pm ET

ON_Playing Business with DeShone Kizer and Dan Gardner:  Virtual Members Event

On September 29, we host a very special event for ON_Discourse members to celebrate the launch of the Playing Business podcast.

Through a series of intimate conversations, former NFL Quarterback DeShone Kizer and Co-Founder and Chairman of Code and Theory, Dan Gardner explore how world-class athletes and global celebrities have successfully transitioned from being at the top of their game to becoming leaders in the world of business.

During this event Dan and DeShone will walk us through Season One of Playing Business and the lessons they learned from their conversations with their guests including NBA’s Spencer Dinwiddie and Channing Frye, former MLS soccer star, turned TV commentator and now entrepreneur, Kyle Martino, X-Games Commentator, Selema Masekela, world renowned mountaineer, Conrad Anker, lacrosse league owner, Paul Rabil, Channing Frye, and the NFL’s Kelvin Beachum.

Interested in attending?  Inquire about membership to memberships@ondiscourse.com.

October, 2023

ON_Sport is diving into the last stronghold of the rapidly
changing world of professional sports — the fan experience.

Dan Gardner
Co-Founder & Exec Chair,
Code and Theory.
Co-Founder,
ON_Discourse.

A three part series that looks at how entertainment is being disrupted by artificial intelligence.

Start here or jump ahead into any individual article exploring the transformation of creativity, ownership and distribution.

I get it, AI makes a creative person feel uncomfortable. Facing this intersection of creativity and artificial intelligence (AI) might cause a ripple of discomfort, particularly if you’re someone who has dedicated their life to honing creative abilities.

It’s understandably disconcerting to contemplate the idea of an AI system challenging your unique capacity for creativity – a quality you’ve always attributed to your personal skillset.

DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR MIND?
IS AI A LANDMINE OR GOLDMINE FOR ATHLETE BRANDS?
DID TOM BRADY REALLY SAY THAT?
Image created using Midjourney
Matthew Chmiel
Head of Discourse

On Friday, July 28, we invited three guest experts to discuss AI and digital media. ON_Discourse members joined us that day and were provoked by Dan Gardner and Michael Treff.

Social Media

Is Dead

Toby Daniels
Co founder ON_Discourse

What justification does Threads, Meta’s by-the-numbers Twitter clone, have to exist beyond expanding the Facebook monolith? If you listen to the company, Threads will be a bold experiment in decentralized social networking… at some vague point in the future.

Dan Gardner
Co-Founder & Exec Chair, Code and Theory
Co-Founder, ON_Discourse

100 million is still a small percentage of total Instagram or even Facebook users despite the frictionless way you could sign up. If you advertised a free service to over 2 billion people, is 5% sign-up a success? Why is the media jumping all over this like it’s an indication of success or change in behavior?

Ernie Smith
Ernie Smith is the editor of Tedium, a twice-weekly internet history newsletter, and a frequent contributor to Vice’s Motherboard.

Ignoring the potential of the fediverse and ActivityPub entirely is a mistake because services like it often shape the corporate world. It could be a way to control your brand’s digital destiny.

SECURE

THE AI

FUTURE

Larry Muller
ON_Discourse,
Co-Founder
COO of Code & Theory

Who do you trust? Bored Apes? Bankman Fried? Kevin Rose? Facebook? TikTok?

Should they all have an opportunity to participate in AI? Have they earned it?

There are thousands of others I could put on the list. Not necessarily “bad” enterprises or “bad” people (some are). Just companies and people who have not earned our trust. Imagine the mess they would all create.

Big Tech Should
Not Get Bigger

In the spirit of discourse, Larry Muller and Dan Gardner argue the opposing side of their own article.

AI is Not a
Public Utility
Anthony DeRosa
Head of Content and Product,
ON_Discourse

GENERATION

AI

Anthony DeRosa
Head of Content and Product,
ON_Discourse

The dangers of AI should not be disregarded, as responsible discussions around ethics, privacy, job displacement, and algorithmic bias are crucial.

However, it is equally important to maintain a balanced dialogue that separates legitimate concerns from alarmist speculation. Painting all AI advancements with a broad brush of impending doom stifles innovation and instills unnecessary fear in the public.

The Open Source
AI Revolution
Dylan Patel
Semiconductor Analyst
ChatGPT Startups
Are Risky
Rachel Curry
Rachel Curry is a journalist based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Dan Gardner
Co-Founder and Exec Chair,
Code and Theory
Co-Founder,
ON_Discourse


When was the last time you felt like you had your mind changed?

ARTIFICIAL

INSPIRATION

Molly Crabapple
Artist and writer

One might argue that the rise of AI image generators is only a problem for illustrators like me. But what about you, editor, art director, or publisher? Why should you forgo something so convenient? 

AUTOMATION

ANXIETY

The Shift from Knowledge Work to Direction Work

Toby Daniels
Co founder ON_Discourse

Shifts in many job sectors do not just show AI replacing human skills. They show a need for a new kind of human skill set. This is where the direction worker comes in.

or

Sorry, Not Everyone Can Be a Director

Dan Gardner
Co-Founder and Exec Chair,Code and Theory Co-Founder, ON_Discourse

Before we write off creativity and knowledge workers as superfluous, remember this is not our first industrial revolution — in fact, it’s one of many.

NEWSROOMS

CONFRONT AI

Disclosing the Use of AI in Reporting: It’s Futile

Michael Nunez
Michael Nunez is the Editorial Director of VentureBeat, where he leads the coverage of artificial intelligence and enterprise data.

While generative AI is an unstoppable force in many industries, how it transforms journalism over the next decade is up to those of us at the forefront — not legacy media, which will surely be slow to adopt.

or

Newsrooms Should Build Their Own Generative AI

Matthieu Mingasson
Head of Design Transformation,
Code and Theory

We’ve seen fear over potential job loss, dire warnings over the potential for AI-generated misinformation, and some tepid statements about its positive potential for the industry. But smart publishers will realize that there’s enormous potential.

Is web3 Still a Thing?

Matthew Sweezey
Chief Strategy Officer, Smart Token Labs

The entire current conversation about web3 is focused on the financial aspects of the technology, and mostly that is simply the token prices of Bitcoin. This limited view is too scary to consumers and brands.

When we let web3 fade into the background and leverage it to create better experiences both of those fears go away, and a greater value can emerge. To do this we also have to reduce the complexity of the experience, which means embracing off-chain tokens to expand on these use cases and further reduce consumer friction.

Who Cares
About web3?
Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat
Founder,
High Magic

The idea of bankless assets seems incredibly exciting to those of us on the inside of the discussion. Traditional banks fail consumers in many, many ways. Decentralized finance represents the future.

However, the majority of Americans are unable to cover a $1,000 emergency in cash. 

You’re not going to get the average person excited about the idea of bankless assets, because the average person has no assets. Decentralized finance sounds meaningless to a person living paycheck-to-paycheck. 

Retail

Revolution

Image created using Midjourney
David T. McCarty
Branding consultant, telling stories that attempt to explain human behavior in relation to commerce, from Dallas to Dubai, Moscow to Miami.

Stores will become experiential destinations, meticulously designed to invite you to try on a new lifestyle. The brand experience will combine high and low-tech, textures and scents with virtual reality, video, and sound.

Discover more
Discourse