Season 1 · Episode 96
Episode 96: Kenneth Stanley on the Pursuit of What’s Interesting
The Theory of Anything · Bruce Nielson and Peter Johansen
October 29, 20241h 28m
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Show Notes
Here we interview AI researcher Kenneth Stanley, who makes the case that in complex systems, pursing specific objectives can actually be counterproductive. Instead, whether in machine learning, business, science, education, or art, we should pursue what is interesting. It is in this search for novelty—fueled by curiosity—where innovation and open-ended knowledge creation occurs.
Get Ken's book!
Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective Also:
- Can Bruce find a counter example to Ken's thesis?
- How does one 'detect novelty' using an algorithm?
- Is creativity really a search algorithm?