Moonshots with Peter Diamandis
Episode #154 (March 6, 2025):
An AI Conversation for Everyday People w/ Will.i.am & Van Jones
Episode Overview
In this dynamic episode of Moonshots, Peter Diamandis sits down with two visionary leaders—Will.i.am (music icon and tech innovator) and Van Jones (CNN commentator and social justice advocate)—to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) and technology are shaping the future of humanity. They traverse topics from the transformative power of AI for underserved and overlooked communities—including Africa and urban America—to the importance of cultural preservation, education reform, the pitfalls of negative media, and the hope for a more abundant and equitable world through intentional technological progress.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The 'Make Wakanda Real' Initiative and Africa's Youth Boom
- Will.i.am and Van Jones discuss their campaign inspired by the Marvel universe's Wakanda, using it as a metaphor for leveraging technology to uplift black communities globally.
- Africa’s demographic trajectory is a central theme:
- Will.i.am: "The majority of youth on Earth is in Africa...That means by 2040, 2050, the majority of people leading companies… will be African." (13:15)
- Peter Diamandis: Points out that after India, Africa—with its youth and resources—will be the next global powerhouse. (13:43)
- The initiative: holding events to expose the black community to AI and future technologies (11:21)
- Van Jones: “Several hundred people showed up from the community. We could not get them to leave.” (11:33)
- Importance of hope and narrative: fighting the "politics of despair" with a compelling, forward-looking vision. (11:09)
2. AI as a Leveling Tool for Meritocracy and Inclusion
- Diamandis, Will.i.am, and Van Jones ponder whether AI could finally democratize opportunity across race, geography, and economic background.
- Van Jones: "Disruption is great for… communities that have been overlooked or underestimated. It's a chance to catch up." (03:00)
- Diamandis quoting Van Jones: "AI is not a hand grenade that blows up your life. It's a jetpack to set you free." (06:04)
- Question of "local" AIs and cultural preservation. Can countries and communities train LLMs on their own traditions and languages, not just Western canon? (18:16)
- Will.i.am: Announces his partnership to bring GPU clusters to Africa, enabling the continent to build its own AI infrastructure. (16:34, 17:15)
3. AI, Creativity, and the Hybrid Human Future
- Will.i.am shares stories from his own tech journey—building creative robotics teams, crafting AI Personas, and integrating AI in his music and business.
- Will.i.am: On creating AI Personas: “We have Fiona, Felicia, Fiera, Finn… Felicia is the most colorful, expressive agent that we have.” (07:33-08:03)
- Diamandis: Compares Will.i.am’s vision to Ironman’s Jarvis and the mythos of superhuman digital companions. (08:48)
- AI as both an amplifier and equalizer for creative expression, not as a threat.
- Will.i.am: “I think the future looks more like Star Wars and Star Trek than it does Terminator… Terminator, Matrix, that's the same film.” (23:01)
- Will.i.am: Sees AI as an unlock for "superhuman" potential, not just superintelligence. (26:54)
4. Education, Opportunity, and the Urgency to Rethink Curriculum
- Critique of the education system’s preparedness for tech disruption; ideas for transforming learning through AI.
- Van Jones: “Most people don’t have that (blank slate). They’re stuck in these buildings… so I think it’s a big problem. I think AI can be a solution... There's an education that has to happen for people to use these tools.” (61:48)
- Peter Diamandis: “Today people fear AI and keep it out of the classroom. It’s like fearing oxygen because it can cause a fire.” (62:39)
- Will.i.am: Details on his free FYI app—AI Personas tailored to different cultures and languages, geared at making knowledge relatable and accessible. (82:42–84:29)
5. Mindset, Empowerment, and Why Tech Needs More Soul
- Reflection on the deeper needs of society as technology outpaces wisdom; the importance of art, story, and spiritual dimension.
- Van Jones: “We’re in danger of creating a human civilization that has an awful lot of data and very little wisdom.” (45:00)
- Will.i.am: “That’s why I’m not worried about AI. Because it’s going to unlock that superhuman.” (26:54)
- Both underscore the historic absence of investment in developing kids’ minds and hearts versus checkbooks for tech. (33:23–33:36)
- Van Jones: “People need a compelling future.” (35:39)
6. The Coming Disruption: Jobs, Automation, Digital Divides
- Debate over whether AI will cause massive job displacement, create a new class divide, or present new paths for economic mobility.
- Peter Diamandis: Raises concern over a “fracturing of society where there’s haves and have-nots” as automation intensifies. (39:10)
- Will.i.am: “If you’re a lawyer, if you’re in finance…AI is going to do an awesome job doing that… White collar jobs, that’s going.” (67:12)
- New terms: "level five companies"—fully-autonomous firms with minimal human staff. (42:06)
- Call for every person to own their personal AI—your “identic AI”—as intrinsic as your biology (immune system, nervous system). (46:22)
7. Trust, Media, and the Power to Shape Reality
- Candid discussion about the negative bias of mainstream media, the need for new filters, and how personalized AI news could change perspective.
- Diamandis: “I jokingly and seriously call CNN the Crisis News Network… we pay 10 times more attention to negative news than positive news.” (99:21)
- Van Jones: Shares a revealing story about why television news can’t seem to stick to positive programming: “The audience says they want positivity. They hate it. They don’t want it. Keep fighting.” (101:16)
- Hope for change: using AI as a “news filter” tailored to one’s interests and needs, not just what editors dictate (108:03, 108:57)
8. Access: Digital, Social, and 'Wetware' Divides
- Today's true divide isn't just hardware or software, but mindset ("wetware").
- Van Jones: “It’s a wetware problem. Wetware is your brain…It’s a mindset problem right now. And that’s why we’re doing Make Wakanda Real.” (80:31)
- Universal ignorance creates a rare level playing field: “99% of black kids don’t know anything about AI, and 99% of white kids don’t either. This is the first time in my life that we’re all equally ignorant… this is called equality.” (81:06)
9. Energy, Infrastructure, and the Feasibility of an 'Agentic Society'
- Can the world power the coming wave of robots and AIs?
- Diamandis: Predicts up to “10 billion humanoid robots by 2040.” (71:53)
- Van Jones: Raises concerns over AI’s massive energy demands: “AI companies… could increase [US] energy demand by 23%–34%... over the next 36 months, that’s like adding 20 states to America’s grid.” (74:00)
- Policy tension between embracing renewables and fossil fuels to meet surging demand. (74:14)
10. Final Reflections: Technology, Purpose, and Uplifting Humanity
- 'Make Wakanda Real' as a metaphor and practical project to uplift communities through technology, education, and ownership.
- Diamandis: “My mission is to inspire and guide entrepreneurs to create a hopeful, compelling and abundant future for humanity.” (57:19)
- Partnerships: Dream Machine (Van/Will), FYI app, Rapport Co (Van’s new company for workplace emotional intelligence), XPRIZE, and Singularity University.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
AI as an equalizer
“For the first time in my life, we’re all equally ignorant… this is called equality.”
—Van Jones (81:06) -
Power of narrative and representation
“We wanted to make sure our AI sound like folks that breathe and vibe the way we vibe.”
—Will.i.am (85:23, 87:53) -
On rebranding AI from fear to hope
“AI is not a hand grenade that blows up your life… It’s a jetpack to set you free.”
—Van Jones (06:04, 99:09) -
On the digital divide
“It’s not a hardware problem, it’s not a software problem, it’s a wetware problem. If we can change the mindset of a generation, beautiful things…”
—Van Jones (80:31) -
Media negativity and what audiences really want
"The audience says they want positivity. They hate it. They don’t want it. Keep fighting."
—Van Jones (101:21) -
What does it mean to 'Make Wakanda Real'?
“The majority of youth on Earth is in Africa… that collaboration that’s going to help Africa boom… is already happening.”
—Will.i.am (13:15, 14:26) -
On tech’s spiritual, soulful dimension
“We’re in danger of creating a civilization that has an awful lot of data and very little wisdom.”
—Van Jones (45:00) -
Personal AI as birthright
“Certain sht is fcking personal. Like my digestive system is mine. My immune system is mine… So my data system needs to be mine. My AI system needs to be mine.”
—Will.i.am (46:22)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Intro to 'Make Wakanda Real' and the youthful demographic shift: 00:00 – 09:52
- Tech, creativity, and AI Personas (Will.i.am's journey): 06:38 – 08:03
- Demography, Africa, and future economic power: 13:09 – 17:15
- Training AI on cultural legacy, not just Western data: 18:16 – 19:22
- On AI unlocking ‘superhuman’ capacities: 26:28 – 26:54
- Education reform and AI-powered learning: 61:48 – 67:12
- True digital divide and universal ignorance: 80:31 – 81:51
- Media critique and the lure of negative news: 99:21 – 103:47
- Putting AI in everyone's hands (FYI, Rapport Co): 82:54 – 87:53, 109:06 – 112:09
- Energy crisis and the need for a new infrastructure: 73:03 – 76:51
- Episode close and call to action: 112:18 – 118:26
Additional Highlights
- FYI App: Designed to provide expressive, culturally relevant AI agents free to all. “AI should sound, relate and reflect everyone, not just the dominant culture.” (85:23)
- Rapport Co: Van Jones’ new company aiming to bring more emotional intelligence into remote workplaces using AI. (109:06)
- Personal Stories: Will.i.am connects his music business experience and learning at Harvard to how education and memory could be augmented with AI. (91:30–97:28)
Conclusion
Moonshots #154 presents a sweeping, hopeful, and unsparingly honest conversation about the impact of AI on civilization’s next chapter, especially for those too often left on the sidelines of technological revolutions. Will.i.am and Van Jones—guided by Peter Diamandis—explore how technology can be used wisely, soulfully, and inclusively, issuing a powerful call for everyone to claim a stake in humanity’s shared digital destiny.
Resources Mentioned
- FYI App: [iOS and Google Play] (85:23, 112:47)
- Dream Machine: [dreammachine.org] (118:01)
- Rapport Co: [rapportco] (109:06)
- Peter’s Newsletter: diamandis.com/subscribe
“We are at a level playing field — it’s just coming out and we have 8,7 billion smartphones. FYI is free and available… AI is going to become as fundamental to everybody as a phone is, as electricity is. It’s part of the infrastructure of life, and you might as well get good at it as soon as possible.”
—Peter Diamandis (112:34)