Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

David Orban @davidorban.com · 3d

I’ll be joining Token Talks & Tastes 2.0 on October 13 in Dubai for the panel “From Camels to Code: The Evolution of Value Exchange.”

The event gathers innovators and investors to discuss how blockchain, digital assets, and AI are reshaping global finance.
luma.com/2t6rm27i?tk=...

David Orban @davidorban.com · 7d

I’ll be in Dubai next week for two of the region’s biggest tech gatherings: Expand North Star on October 12 and GITEX Global starting October 13. Both are massive stages where innovation, scale, and ambition come together. Reach out if you'd like to meet

David Orban @davidorban.com · 7d

Tech doesn’t grow exponentially. It jolts. The smooth exponential model worked for fifty years, but it doesn’t match what we’re living through now. Explore more at jolting.davidorban.com

David Orban @davidorban.com · 12d

This Friday I will talk about how accessibility is more than compliance, improving learning for everyone. At Exploring eLearning in Milan, we will discuss Dotwords' fast, and affordable AI services, giving organizations a new opportunity to lead.

David Orban @davidorban.com · 14d

With the release a few hours ago of the Agentic Commerce Protocol and Instant Checkout by OpenAI and Stripe, my keynote at the INMerge Innovation Summit in Baku today about the future of ecommerce which concentrates on AI agents has become even more topical and relevant.

David Orban @davidorban.com · 16d

I’ll be speaking in Baku at the INMerge Innovation Summit about the future of eCommerce. AI agents will soon negotiate and transact on our behalf, reshaping how businesses compete. My session will focus on what companies must do today to prepare for this transformation.

David Orban @davidorban.com · 17d

I will be in Baku from Sep 29 to Oct 1. Let me know if you want to meet.

(Most of my time will be absorbed by Inmerge Innovation Summit, but I may have a few slots here and there..)

David Orban @davidorban.com · 22d

Testing my presentation on the ultrawide LED wall for tomorrow’s keynote “Human Flourishing In The Age Of AI And Robots”

David Orban @davidorban.com · 25d

I’ll be talking about investing and fundraising in the age of AI on Sep 24 at 10AM in Dubai, hosted by the AIXL8 AI Research & Development Hub & Accelerator together with Dariia Vasylieva and Mikael Boshian.

RSVP luma.com/ylk2ugl9

David Orban @davidorban.com · 27d

I will be in Dubai from Sept 20 to Sept 24. Let me know if you want to meet.

(Most of my time will be absorbed by The Futurists X Summit, but I may have a few slots here and there..)

David Orban @davidorban.com · 27d

Finalizing my slides for The Futurists X Summit in Dubai. Finally I am using videos replacing static images, thanks to the latest updates by Midjourney

David Orban @davidorban.com · 28d

Join me at the Futurists X Summit on September 22-23 at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai.
www.futuristevent.com

(Use code FTR40XLND2025 for a 40% discount on full the price of the ticket.)

David Orban @davidorban.com · Aug 25

aiparadox.davidorban.com/report/The%2...

aiparadox.davidorban.com

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David Orban @davidorban.com · Aug 25

Download the full PDF of The AI Paradox Report

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David Orban @davidorban.com · Aug 24

You can download the AI Paradox Report and explore the full survey data: aiparadox.davidorban.com

The AI Paradox Report

61% of AI users experience high personal benefits while harboring significant societal concerns

aiparadox.davidorban.com

David Orban @davidorban.com · Aug 24

The AI Paradox - Early Adopters Love AI But Fear Its Future.

Early adopters of AI show a striking contradiction. They benefit from AI in their daily work, but doubt its broader impact on society. Adoption is rising, but trust is falling.
youtu.be/ND3WIA7yVQE?...

The AI Paradox - The Context S07E05

YouTube video by David Orban

youtu.be

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David Orban @davidorban.com · Aug 23

Over 60% of respondents fall into what I call the “Pragmatic Paradox”: they benefit personally from AI but doubt its wider impact on society.

This mismatch may shape policy, adoption, and trust for years.

Where do you see yourself on this map: optimist, skeptic, or in the paradox quadrant?

David Orban @davidorban.com · Aug 22

The Futurists X Summit - I will talk about how artificial intelligence and robotics are changing society, businesses, and ourselves. I invite you to join me on September 22-23 in Dubai, where we will analyze these trends and how to take advantage of them.
www.futuristevent.com

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David Orban @davidorban.com · Aug 22

When people talk about AI risks, the biggest themes cluster around truth, identity, and human connection. Other issues, like jobs, inequality, and surveillance vary more by group.

If you had to pick just one concern to solve first, which would it be?

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David Orban @davidorban.com · Aug 21

Personal AI experiences are trending more optimistic, while views of AI’s societal impact are sliding into concern. This “divergence zone” shows the paradox: my tools get better, but I worry about the world they’re shaping.

Do you think this gap will close, or widen further?

David Orban @davidorban.com · Jul 12

The Jolting Technologies Paper is Now Available
After months of development and peer review, I'm sharing the complete academic framework for understanding AI's superexponential growth.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2507.06398
Code: github.com/davidorban/j...

David Orban @davidorban.com · Jul 10

If they have to revise their conclusion, shortening this period, it will be a strong experimental indication that the Jolting Technologies Hypothesis is currently valid.

David Orban @davidorban.com · Jul 10

One of the promising sources is the compilation of the ability of AI agents to complete tasks successfully. The research organization METR mapped and analyzed this, coming to the conclusion that the length of the tasks doubles every 7 months.

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David Orban @davidorban.com · Jul 10

There is plenty of anecdotal support for the Jolting Technologies Hypothesis, with the CEOs of Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, NVIDIA, all talking about shrinking doubling rates. It is however harder to collect more granular data.

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David Orban @davidorban.com · Jul 10

To compare jolts across different scales, I define a normalized Jolt magnitude. This tells us the jolt intensity relative to current capability, making it meaningful whether we're talking about language models or image generators.

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