Idea Machines
In this conversation I talk to the Amazing Arati Pra...
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Jan 25 2021 53m
Chapter 1 59 sec
welcome to idea machines. I'm your host and Reinhart. And this podcast is a deep dive into the systems and people that bring innovations from glimmers in someone's eye, all the way to tools, processes, and ideas that can shift paradigms. We see these systems outputs everywhere, but what's inside the black boxes with guestsChapter 2 59 sec
directorChapter 3 59 sec
sectors, but we haven't yet put enough energy into understanding the bigger space where policy finance and the market meet to scale component ideas into the kind of deep and wide innovations that can solve big previously intractable problems in societyChapter 4 59 sec
that's, that's one of the important threads in this tapestry that we want to developChapter 5 59 sec
implementation. But in fact, there are, there are a lot of places where that doesn't happen, seamlessly and solutions, R and D is this weird thing in the middleChapter 6 59 sec
kingdom that I. Love because it has, I think it just has enormous leverage. And I, you know, I, I think a couple of points, number one, it's it requires to do it well, requires its own. Types of expertise and practices and culture that are different from either the research or implementationChapter 7 59 sec
health and data privacyChapter 8 59 sec
very, very, very good at what I couldn't stop thinking about. As I was wrapping up at DARPA is the problems that I think will, you know, many of us feel will determine whether we succeed or fail as a society going forward. So it's not that these challenges, you know, national security or how it's not that those problems have gone away and we should stopChapter 9 59 sec
and so, you know, now here we are in 2021, if you say what's what really matters those were the four areas that we identified that. Are critical to the success of our society. Number one, number two, we aren't succeeding. And that means we need innovation of all different typesChapter 10 59 sec
nonprofit organization. Our our aspiration is over time to build portfolios of solutions, R and D programsChapter 11 59 sec
artChapter 12 59 sec
program itself. And I'm interested in what, what w what do you actually do to design the program? Like what, what is, what does that look like? Yeah. Go aheadChapter 13 59 sec
thinks about the world. As you know, we came together because we share these concerns about these major societal challenges and a passion for bringing this kind of solutions R and D to these problems. And then Wade is the kind of guy who can invent these programs, you know, like he can just go do itChapter 14 59 sec
on these problems. People who have, who really, you know, deeply understand how the systems work that create opportunity or population health or, or take away from those objectivesChapter 15 59 sec
what do you do about it?Chapter 16 59 sec
know or are willing to go learn enough about what the boxes, and then be willing to live outside of it and figure out how to recast it in a different way. And And, and then, you know, similar to DARPA, there's a process of nurturing and coaching, but allowing these smart individuals to bubble and brew program concepts from, you know, like a couple of bullets on a chart eventually to a full executable program, you know, a process that I think even for someone who's super good at this take six months or a yearChapter 17 59 sec
well, It's easy because DARPA has DOD waiting for itChapter 18 59 sec
easy one that everyone knows. A lot of people know that story in the national security world. Of course, what came out of core, enabling technologies. Well, arguably the entire field of advanced material science, but also ARPANET and the internet the seeds of artificial intelligence, advanced microelectronics, Microsystems, huge numbers of technological revolutionsChapter 19 59 sec
build product lines, build industries, changed the worldChapter 20 59 sec
really bad idea. And they tried to shut it down there. Important element of DARPA is the Navy doesn't actually get to tell their people what to doChapter 21 59 sec
forwardChapter 22 59 sec
about it for any, any, so look, I mean, anytime you're setting out to makeChapter 23 59 sec
linking, you know, all the sort of, or ugly data science stuff that has to happen before you can actually start seeing the insights. So it's a soup to nuts full system. That's the ambition of that program is to demonstrate something that's that's that'sChapter 24 59 sec
economy and jobs and the things that lift people up and allow them to pursue opportunity?Chapter 25 59 sec
Procedures and processes that would allow the legal counsel of the firm or the organization that owns the data to say, okay, if we comply with this regulation, if we meet this certification, I can now sign off and know that I'm protecting the data properly, but I can, I can make that decision tomorrow, not in six months or a year, like it usually takes todayChapter 26 59 sec
objective is a prototype and demonstrations that cause them to say, okay, we can, we can now do something in a different wayChapter 27 59 sec
and so I think we're as we're designing programs that actually we're being. Very explicit about that engagement process, which starts by you have a lot of conversations with people who are like, most often, they're like, yeah, sureChapter 28 59 sec
create demonstrations and updates where you bring them to the technology or you bring the technology to them and you say, look, did you, did, you know, this was possible. Look what we can now do. And, you know, ideally they get dazzled and then they say, Oh yeah, but they hear the next three thingsChapter 29 59 sec
universities, the nonprofits who are doing the different components of R and D andChapter 30 59 sec
vectors for moving it out into the world and getting it. Actually implemented. So the world starts changing. And so for both of those reasons up front and at the back end I think that's, I think that's one of the powers of the DARPA model is, is tapping these amazing talents wherever they areChapter 31 59 sec
during a program versus after a program. So, you know, let's say you have a program that that had different university groups working on dunno some advanced chip for doing machine learning or whateverChapter 32 59 sec
is, you know, so let's back upChapter 33 59 sec
management challenge in a program like that is going to be, you know, you, you may choose to start four, but you, you know, at some point you're, you're going to want to down select and go to twoChapter 34 59 sec
relative to the scale that we're starting at zero right now at actuary, but in the DARPA portfolio, you will find programsChapter 35 59 sec
haven't yet those advances have not yet really been applied to the right problem or critically to your point, integrated together into a system that can actually follow the problemChapter 36 59 sec
especially for software tools, this is like the classic way you would do it. So every three to six months to see what's coming out of applied research, that's baked enough to put it into the prototypeChapter 37 59 sec
Sensing and coaching and personalized incentive. Is it working or is it not working? Right. And then, then you go through these iteration loops. So I think that's So, yeah, I mean, I think what, what, so what the program looks like when it's underway is you'll see some researchers, universities, or companies you'll see prototype developers, typically more companies there you'll see people who do the tests or the demonstrationsChapter 38 59 sec
performers in the program are the people who can see where the boxes and then, and think about, think outside of itChapter 39 59 sec
DARPA program managers. And it's very similar for Dar for, for actually future program leaders. Number one, it's people who are driven to make a change in the world which like, I mean, this is where I live and breathe, but itChapter 40 59 sec
about how you know how some aspect of behavioral science works in a very specific context, but you also, I'm also looking for people who can then extrapolate up to how might that and other advances to be harnessed, to, to move the world forwardChapter 41 59 sec
a day-to-day basis. But it's also important because we're talking about really powerful technologies and someone who we need people who are willing to be explicit and thoughtful about the ethical considerations that they'll be weighing inChapter 42 59 sec
simple minded and, and to the extent you think that's, if that's your worldview, I would say the things I think need to be done, that I can make a contribution to cannot aren't companiesChapter 43 59 sec
By companies, building new products, services, and profits. And I do think that some of the solutions will ultimately will include companies having really interesting new market opportunities. But it, you know, this is the stuff that the market doesn't do and, and. But, you know, th the, so if you think about us, R and D we spend about half a trillion dollars a year in the U S economy on research and developmentChapter 44 59 sec
each sort of program? Like, are you funding it as a program by program basis? We're still at a seed stage just to be really clear, but we spent a lot of time on this strategic question about whether first of all, let's be really clear that what we're trying, we think philanthropy has an important role to play because of the fact that market and government are notChapter 45 59 sec
I mean, that's the template for solutions R and D is rightChapter 46 59 sec
a program, but a lot of, you know, how to start have one or two things, every single decade that literally is changing the world. Well, it certainly isn't because all the programs succeed, it is because you have a portfolioChapter 47 59 sec
how did. You know what to do? Like did theyChapter 48 59 sec
Lark, I went to Washington for a year, which was critical because even when you leave the trot, you know, th the, the path you are supposed to be on, that's when you don't know what's going to happen. But one of the things that can happen as amazing new possibilities occur. And that's what happened when Dick asked if I wanted to come to DARPAChapter 49 59 sec
blow open these doors to new opportunities. I just, it just resonated so deeply. So I spent seven years at DARPA the last couple of years, which we're starting with micro at that time, it was the micro electronics technology office, which we spun out of the rail defense sciences office at that timeChapter 50 59 sec
when I got there, it was, you know, being a program manager and then being an office director at DARPA, which I had done in the eighties and nineties, and then going back as director, those are three very different jobs, but so there was a huge amount of learning and growth in every stage. But they are allChapter 51 59 sec
think that there are any ways to improve on the DARPA model that you're trying to implement going forward? So we talk about this all the time. I mean, I think for small, if the work that we're starting an actuator can have anything like the kind of impact that DARPA has had in, and, and, you know, any subset of its programs Then I can die happy, right?Chapter 52 59 sec
special focus onChapter 53 59 sec
chosen in the past to work with industry or with finance that I think are less, you know, those are not as significant on a limitation for the work we're doing in the social sectorChapter 54 36 sec
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