Ep 19: Civilizational Tech: From Egyptology to Modern-day Blockchain and AI

From the technology used to build pyramids by Ancient Egyptians to blockchain & AI today, there's tremendous continuity in how technologies developed.

We're joined by Dr. Christian de Vartavan, a distinguished Egyptologist whose contributions include 10 seminal works in Egyptology and an impressive tally of 40 scientific discoveries. Beyond his expertise in Egyptology, Christian is also recognized as a technologist and an accomplished authority in blockchain and artificial intelligence who regularly advises the UK government on the strategic integration of these emerging technologies.

We have also been joined by our Empasco director, Mohammad Syed. (@MohammadSyed159)

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation that spans across epochs, connecting the wisdom of ancient civilizations with the forefront of modern technological innovation.

In this episode, we delve into:

-Christian's journey from the realms of Egyptology to the forefront of blockchain and AI

-The parallels and intersections between ancient civilizations and cutting-edge technology

-Insights into his ground-breaking scientific discoveries and their implications for the modern world

-The role of blockchain and AI in shaping the future of media, society, and beyond

-A reflection on his family's legacy of advisory roles in royal, presidential, and governmental spheres, influencing trade, business, economics, and science.

Follow our host Waheed Rahman (@iwaheedo), for more updates on tech, civilizational growth, progress studies, and emerging markets.

Here are the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players, you should be able to click the timestamp for the episode.

(00:00) - Intro

(03:15) - Christian's background in Egyptology

(04:50) - About Christian's technological advisory role for the UK government

(06:41) - Technologies in Ancient Egypt

(10:20) - Views on the Pyramid making process

(13:01) - Controversial perspectives related to the Pyramids

(19:06) - Have we forgotten how to build a Pyramid?

(21:32) - Are we facing a modern-day puzzle with artificial intelligence, much like the ancient mysteries that confounded civilizations?

(30:24) - Do AI and blockchain technologies pose a risk of widening societal disparities? Is there a global divergence in AI approaches among countries?

(35:27) - How are we planning to enforce standards in regulating AI?

(37:53) - Amidst growing distrust in giants like Google and Facebook and a rise in anti-globalism, how does society navigate diminishing faith in both private and global institutions?

(42:06) - Considering the unmet expectations, boom-and-bust cycles, and recent downturn, what is the current assessment of the state and future direction of crypto and blockchain technology?

(51:05) - What are the scopes of these technological development related to Christian's proprietary tech at Projectus that focuses on the classification of knowledge and the philosophy of the internet?

(54:29) - How does Christian envision the future of statecraft, shaped by the concept of network states on the internet?

(60:07) - Outro