#265 Jeff Lu: How Akool Uses Gen AI to Make Live AI Avatars & Voices
What if you could translate any video into any language—instantly—and make it look like the speaker was really speaking it?
In this episode of Eye on AI, host Craig Smith sits down with Jeff Liu, founder and CEO of Akool, to explore how AI avatars and real-time video translation are eliminating global language barriers. With a background at Apple, Google, and Stanford, Jeff is leading Akool to the frontier of generative AI: cloning faces, voices, and emotions in live video streams.
We dive into the technical architecture behind Akool's real-time avatars, the role of large language models in translation latency, and what the future looks like when the need to "learn languages" may disappear.
Whether you're a content creator, marketer, technologist, or just curious about what's next in AI and communication, this episode is a must-listen.
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(00:00) Creating Digital Clones with AI
(01:20) Jeff Liu's Journey from Big Tech to Startup Founder
(02:54) What Akool Does and Who It's For
(07:11) Inside the Live AI Avatar Suite
(10:32) How Akool Powers Real-Time AI Avatars
(16:05) Solving Language Translation with Avatars
(21:40) Translating YouTube Videos with One Click
(28:36) The Technology Behind Real-Time Translation
(33:22) Competing with Tech Giants Like Google
(36:26) Akool's Vision
(39:36) Avatar Types: Instant, Studio, and Ultra explained
(43:39) Building Emotional Nuance into Voice and Video
$DIS earnings, Disney vs Netflix & streaming strategies with Lon Harris + Ephemeral Tattoos | E1532
Lon Harris joins the show for a full streaming industry breakdown, including $DIS earnings, $WBD drama, streaming strategies, and more! (1:59) Then, Molly interviews Ephemeral CEO Jeff Liu on building a high-quality temporary tattoo solution. (1:09:00)
(0:00) Jason tees up today's segments!
(1:59) Jason welcome Lon Harris to talk misaligned media incentives and Trump coverage
(12:45) MicroAcquire - Sell your business with no fees at https://try.microacquire.com/twist
(14:05) Hulu's new film Prey is its largest streaming debut to date
(27:18) Vanta - Get $1,000 off automating your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist
(28:29 Why the Predator franchise is valuable IP for Disney, how streaming platforms should handle "auteurs"
(35:41) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist
(37:14) $DIS earnings, how Disney's streaming platforms overtook Netflix in terms of subscribers
(46:52 Breaking down $WBD and how it should handle various IP, streaming residuals upheaval
(51:25) Disney vs Netflix BOTE Math, Ezra Miller situation, strategies for Zaslav to take advantage of $WBD IP
(1:09:00) Molly interviews Ephemeral CEO Jeff Liu
Luke Burgis | Layer Zero
Humans are mimetic creatures that crave their respective desires. But how do these desires work when paired with crypto? Luke Burgis explains. Luke is the author of, “Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life.”
Mimetic desire is a part of everything. After this interview, you’ll start to see it everywhere. Where does the apex of mimetic desire lead? Is it good or bad for society? How did learning about mimetic desire impact Luke’s life? Hear the answers to these questions and much more in the episode.
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------ Topics Covered:
0:00 Intro 3:43 Luke’s Background 7:40 Crypto & Mimetic Desire 15:40 The Leverage Component 20:32 Manias and Mimesis 24:50 Defining Mimetic Desire 31:13 Eyes 37:16 Trajectory of Mimetic Desire 46:47 Consequences of Mimetic Desire 55:55 How Luke Has Personally Changed 1:00:20 Desires 1:08:00 Good or Bad For Society?
------ Resources:
Luke Burgis on Twitter https://twitter.com/lukeburgis
Luke Burgis’s Website https://lukeburgis.com/
Wanting by Luke https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250262488/
Luke’s First Bankless Appearance https://youtu.be/5cln_TL-bGI
Manias and Mimesis Essay https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3469465
----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.
Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures
72 - The Power of Mimetic Desire | Luke Burgis
Luke Burgis is an author, entrepreneur, and professor. In his new book Wanting, Luke discusses the mimetic (mimicking) roots of our desires and behaviors. Viewing our species from this lens yields a vast wealth of insights about the nature of society, and we discuss how the internet (and crypto) pose to dramatically shift our understanding of these things.
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BANKLESS PODCAST #72: The Power of Mimetic Desire Guest: Luke Burgis
When we explore what crypto is all about, it often brings us back to the fundamental questions. What is money? What is value? What are the characteristics of a good society? In our conversation with Luke Burgis, we dive even deeper: what drives our basic desires and behaviors? Luke makes an incredibly compelling argument that the root of our wants and perceived needs derive from Mimetic Desire -- the idea that we look to others and mimic what they do.
Mimetic desire appears to emerge among all successful social species. As humans, we learn how to exist in a society by observing and processing those around us. Our parents, friends, and communities at large all collectively inform how we perceive the world around us. In this model, the individual melts away, and instead, we become interdependent nodes in a network of ideas, ideologies, actions, and behaviors. We often want things because others want them. Although rationality certainly plays a role, it takes a back seat to the more immediate and salient driving forces of mimesis.
How does this relate to crypto in particular? Well, mimesis certainly drives the patterns we find in markets: speculation and adoption are both functions of mimetic desires. This model also applies more broadly when we consider the coordinative power of the internet and blockchains. If we accept mimesis on the aggregate and individual scale, we can more fully grasp the scale and scope of these new social and economic technologies.
Hot off the release of his book 'Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life,' Luke is fascinated by the potential of blockchains to revolutionize how we interact and function as a species and society. However, Mimetic Desire won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
------ Topics Covered:
0:00 Intro 6:50 Luke Burgis 9:05 What is Mimetic Desire? 16:25 Modeling Desire 23:35 Coping with Abundance 27:19 Collective, Shared Desires 31:30 Genes & Memes 37:25 Mimetic Desire & Memes 45:20 Subjective Scarcity & Rivalries 54:24 The Internet & Mimetic Desire 1:01:00 Bitcoin and The Role of Money 1:12:10 Wealth is What You Want 1:17:43 Markets, Bubbles, Mania 1:26:58 Rivalrous Communities 1:33:00 Mimetic Bubbles & Reflexivity 1:39:45 Algorithms Determining Outcomes 1:43:49 Legitimacy 1:48:40 What about Rationality? 1:52:22 The Take on Crypto 1:55:20 Closing & Disclaimers
------ Resources:
Luke on Twitter https://twitter.com/lukeburgis?s=20 Luke’s Newsletter https://read.lukeburgis.com/ Wanting on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Wanting-Power-Mimetic-Desire-Everyday/dp/1250262488/
------ Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.
Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures