Hello and welcome to another episode of Between the Lines. Here we explore the limits of AI and the hidden potential of human intelligence. Today, I’d like to introduce you to my “Renaissance Remake” project.
When I was a little boy, my grandfather used to say to me, “Dan, I’m entering my 2nd childhood.” Now that I have some gray hair myself, I’ve decided to enter a 2nd childhood as well. However, becoming a child again doesn’t mean that one abandons all sense of purpose or vision. As a child, I dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot. And though I did not achieve that goal, the vision inspired me, nonetheless.
So, as I thought about this, I knew that I needed a vision for my new life. Who do I want to be? After much thoughtful consideration, I decided to become a wealthy yet cultured man of the Italian Renaissance, a merchant of 16th century Venice. Of course, it’s not possible for me to physically travel back in time, but I can do the next best thing. I decided to use generative AI to recreate myself in a virtual Renaissance world. I am, after all, an AI trainer at the University of Florida so I know just enough about the technology to be dangerous.
Clearly, this is a huge undertaking. My first order of business is to learn Italian. AI-enabled tools and translators can certainly be helpful, and I plan to talk about those in future podcasts. Yet I also sensed a need to have a human walk me through this transformation. In Italian, such a person is called a cicerone. I found my Italian cicerone at iTalki. Her name is Elena Ribaudo. Elena is going to be an important part of this journey, joining me on this channel from time to time, teaching me Italian, and guiding me through the glories of Venetian culture at the height of its power during the Italian Renaissance. She has her work cut out for her. Imagine an episode of Extreme Makeover but one where the work is happening to an uncultured americano. And just to be clear, that americano is me! Yes, I still have some charms left, but this renovation, this rebirth if you will, is going to require a lot of work.
Elena is not the only one on my makeover team. Others will join her, including some wonderful faculty at the University of Florida. Clearly, it takes a village to do this kind of work. I invite you to join me on the playground of my 2nd-childhood. Let the fun begin!
Renaissance Remake (Part I)