SZ 186: The Missing Quadrant Ft. De Kai
This live Silicon Zombies conversation dives into a thought-provoking question posed by AI pioneer De Kai:
What’s the one quadrant of intelligence we forgot to teach our machines?
In a world where artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving, we often focus so much on the tools that we forget to ask:
What kind of world are we shaping in return?
🎤 About the Speaker
De Kai invented the technology that led to Google Translate, Yahoo Translate, and Bing—but his work goes far beyond engineering. His work spans decades at the intersection of AI, culture, ethics, and collective consciousness. As a Founding Fellow of the Association for Computational Linguistics and former member of Google’s AI ethics council, De Kai is one of the few voices asking:
Should we be afraid? Or should we take responsibility?
In his book Raising AI, he reframes AI not as tools or threats—but as children. Impressionable, powerful, and growing fast. It’s not just about what we build, but how we raise them.
🧭 What We’ll Explore
How the automation of thought is quietly reshaping our lives
Why culture, not just code, is the real battleground
What it means to be the responsible adults in the room
Let’s come together to explore and fill in The Missing Quadrant—together.
📅 Agenda
5:00–6:00 PM | Check-in, Appetizers & Mixer
6:00–7:00 PM | Speaker Series with De Kai
7:00–9:00 PM | Mixer
📍 Venue Info
The Park James Hotel, Menlo Park
Just a 0.3-mile walk from Menlo Park Caltrain
Free street parking available; valet for an additional fee
🍷 Food & Drinks
Oak & Violet Restaurant
Happy Hour: 3–5 PM | Dinner: 5–9 PM
Full-service bar
🤝 Sponsors
The Park James Hotel • Oak & Violet • Necodex • Career Pathway Institute