Eric Steen's guest appearances

Eric Steen

PERFORMA.TV

Elixir Wizards

Leaders on a Mission

Aidan Connolly

Chris Bell

Angel Jose

Lenny Bruce

Dave Thomas

Keren Cytter

Toran Billups

Dan Cosgrove

Cassidy Williams

Chris Miller

Alan Shaw

Josh Silverman

Alan Hahn

Dan Lindeman

Jonas Mekas

OwlTail

In todays episode I am joined by Eric Steen, Biotechnology entrepreneur, and CEO of Lygos, an innovative biotechnology company, creating healthy and sustainable chemicals. Eric reflects on his upbringing, and the influence of his parents in creating a foundation and set of principles based upon reusing natural resources and sustainability. Eric talks about the time at UC Berkeley, and leveraging the new biotechnology toolkits, and the vision for setting up Lygos, to produce  novel and sustainable chemicals. He outlines the development of the technology platform overcoming the challenges in producing malonic acid, via fermentation process, something that had previously not been done before. He spoke about the range of organic acids, and molecules that Lygos can produce, and about plans for scale up and growth. He highlighted the challenges of current malonic acid production, and how he envisages a future of healthy and sustainable chemicals, driven by the consumer demanding chemicals and materials made sustainably from nontoxic processes

In todays episode I am joined by Eric Steen, Biotechnology entrepreneur, and CEO of Lygos, an innovative biotechnology company, creating healthy and sustainable chemicals. Eric reflects on his upbringing, and the influence of his parents in creating a foundation and set of principles based upon reusing natural resources and sustainability. Eric talks about the time at UC Berkeley, and leveraging the new biotechnology toolkits, and the vision for setting up Lygos, to produce  novel and sustainable chemicals. He outlines the development of the technology platform overcoming the challenges in producing malonic acid, via fermentation process, something that had previously not been done before. He spoke about the range of organic acids, and molecules that Lygos can produce, and about plans for scale up and growth. He highlighted the challenges of current malonic acid production, and how he envisages a future of healthy and sustainable chemicals, driven by the consumer demanding chemicals and materials made sustainably from nontoxic processes

Leaders on a Mission - Eric Steen, CEO Lygos, Episode 21

Building a sophisticated AI that can evolve to fit our vast and diverse needs is a Herculean challenge. Today we speak with senior engineer Eric Steen about Automata, his experimental Elixir project that uses neuroevolution and cutting edge theory to create a multi-agent behavior tree — or really good AI in the common tongue. But before we tap into that rich topic, we talk with Eric about tech burnout, his background, and why Elixir is an excellent language for writing modern software. He then unpacks AI concepts like the need to develop backpropagation in your system, and the value of “neural diversity,” and Markov decision processes.  After Eric gives his take on architecture versus design and the place of domain-driven design, we discuss Automata. A key breakthrough, Eric shares his enthusiasm for ‘novelty search,’ where machines learn from a variety of new behaviors and searches, as opposed to completing one task at a time. We touch on Automata’s progress, Eric’s long-term approach, and what his project might be used for. Near the end of our interview, we chat about CryptoWise, a collaborative analysis platform for cryptocurrency.  Todd Resudek then opens with another edition of Pattern Matching, where he interviews Whatsapp engineer Michał Muskała. They talk about Michał’s career, the movies and music that he enjoys, and the projects that excite him. Tune in to hear more about both Michał and neuroevolution in AI. Key Points From This Episode:  Experiencing tech burnout and challenges around algorithms rendering you redundant. Hear about Eric’s programming background and shifts in the industry.  Backpropagation and using Elixir to build a neural evolutionary system. How Markov decision processes help systems choose between possible actions.  Eric’s take on architecture versus design and the place of domain-driven design. Exploring Automata — Eric’s ambitious multi-agent behavior tree. The importance of neurodiversity when building AIs; they need to adapt to many needs.  Novelty search; why learn through one task when you can learn through a variety of tasks at the same time? Automata’s practical applications and why Eric sees it as a long-term project. Eric shares a progress report on his work and using design processes like Sprint.  What Eric would like people to use Automata for.  A sense that Elixir is gaining in popularity within Silicon Valley. Eric gives an elevator-pitch for CryptoWise, a collaborative analysis platform for cryptocurrency. Todd Resudek interviews Michał Muskała on another edition of Pattern Matching. Michał shares his background and his move from Poland to London.  Movies and music that Michał enjoys, and details on projects that excite him. Differences between Erlang and Elixir and why both communities would benefit from working together.  Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: SmartLogic — https://smartlogic.io/  Eric Steen on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericsteen1/ Eric Steen — https://twitter.com/the_steener Webflow — https://webflow.com/ Automata GitHub — https://github.com/upstarter/automata Automata on Slack — https://join.slack.com/t/automata-project/shared_invite/zt-e4fqrmo4-7ujuZwzXHNCGVrZb1aVmA CryptoWise — https://www.cryptowise.ai/ Hippo Insurance — https://www.hippo.com/ Carl Hewitt — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Hewitt Stanford University — https://www.stanford.edu/ MIT — https://web.mit.edu/ Actor Model — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actor_model Marvin Minsky — http://web.media.mit.edu/~minsky/ Tensorflex on GitHub— https://github.com/anshuman23/tensorflex Matrex on GitHub — https://github.com/versilov/matrex  Handbook of Neuroevolution Through Erlang —  https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9781461444626 Markov Decision Process — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markov_decision_process Amazon Web Services — https://aws.amazon.com/ The Little Elixir &amp; OTP Guidebook — https://www.amazon.com/Little-Elixir-OTP-Guidebook/dp/1633430111 Elon Musk — https://www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/ Welcome to the Era of Deep Neuroevolution — https://eng.uber.com/deep-neuroevolution/ Kenneth O. Stanley — https://www.cs.ucf.edu/~kstanley/ Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective — https://www.amazon.com/Why-Greatness-Cannot-Planned-Objective/dp/3319155237/ University of Florida — https://www.ufl.edu/ Uber Air — https://www.uber.com/us/es/elevate/ Jeff Bezos — https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeff-bezos/ Sprint — https://www.thesprintbook.com/  Adobe — https://www.adobe.com/ Horde — https://www.horde.org/development/ Libcluster on GitHub — https://github.com/dsteinberg/libcluster Swift for Tensorflow — https://www.tensorflow.org/swift Triplebyte Blog — https://triplebyte.com/blog EquiTrader — https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/equitrader/  BloXroute Labs — https://bloxroute.com/ Holochain — https://holochain.org/ Michał Muskała on GitHub — https://github.com/michalmuskala Jason on GitHub — https://github.com/michalmuskala/jason Todd Resudek on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddresudek/ Whatsapp — https://www.whatsapp.com/ CERN — https://home.cern/ Ralph Kaminski — https://ralphkaminski.com/ Jayme Edwards — https://jaymeedwards.com/Special Guest: Eric Steen.

Building a sophisticated AI that can evolve to fit our vast and diverse needs is a Herculean challenge. Today we speak with senior engineer Eric Steen about Automata, his experimental Elixir project that uses neuroevolution and cutting edge theory to create a multi-agent behavior tree — or really good AI in the common tongue. But before we tap into that rich topic, we talk with Eric about tech burnout, his background, and why Elixir is an excellent language for writing modern software. He then unpacks AI concepts like the need to develop backpropagation in your system, and the value of “neural diversity,” and Markov decision processes. After Eric gives his take on architecture versus design and the place of domain-driven design, we discuss Automata. A key breakthrough, Eric shares his enthusiasm for ‘novelty search,’ where machines learn from a variety of new behaviors and searches, as opposed to completing one task at a time. We touch on Automata’s progress, Eric’s long-term approach, and what his project might be used for. Near the end of our interview, we chat about CryptoWise, a collaborative analysis platform for cryptocurrency. Todd Resudek then opens with another edition of Pattern Matching, where he interviews Whatsapp engineer Michał Muskała. They talk about Michał’s career, the movies and music that he enjoys, and the projects that excite him. Tune in to hear more about both Michał and neuroevolution in AI. Key Points From This Episode: <ul> <li>Experiencing tech burnout and challenges around algorithms rendering you redundant.</li> <li>Hear about Eric’s programming background and shifts in the industry. </li> <li>Backpropagation and using Elixir to build a neural evolutionary system.</li> <li>How Markov decision processes help systems choose between possible actions. </li> <li>Eric’s take on architecture versus design and the place of domain-driven design.</li> <li>Exploring Automata — Eric’s ambitious multi-agent behavior tree.</li> <li>The importance of neurodiversity when building AIs; they need to adapt to many needs. </li> <li>Novelty search; why learn through one task when you can learn through a variety of tasks at the same time?</li> <li>Automata’s practical applications and why Eric sees it as a long-term project.</li> <li>Eric shares a progress report on his work and using design processes like Sprint. </li> <li>What Eric would like people to use Automata for. </li> <li>A sense that Elixir is gaining in popularity within Silicon Valley.</li> <li>Eric gives an elevator-pitch for CryptoWise, a collaborative analysis platform for cryptocurrency.</li> <li>Todd Resudek interviews Michał Muskała on another edition of Pattern Matching.</li> <li>Michał shares his background and his move from Poland to London. </li> <li>Movies and music that Michał enjoys, and details on projects that excite him.</li> <li>Differences between Erlang and Elixir and why both communities would benefit from working together.</li> </ul> Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: SmartLogic — <a href="https://smartlogic.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://smartlogic.io/</a> Eric Steen on LinkedIn — <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericsteen1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericsteen1/</a> Eric Steen — <a href="https://twitter.com/the_steener" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/the_steener</a> Webflow — <a href="https://webflow.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://webflow.com/</a> Automata GitHub — <a href="https://github.com/upstarter/automata" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://github.com/upstarter/automata</a> Automata on Slack — <a href="https://join.slack.com/t/automata-project/shared_invite/zt-e4fqrmo4-7ujuZwzXHNCGVrZb1aVmA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://join.slack.com/t/automata-project/shared_invite/zt-e4fqrmo4-7ujuZwzXHNCGVrZb1aVmA</a> CryptoWise — <a href="https://www.cryptowise.ai/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.cryptowise.ai/</a> Hippo Insurance — <a href="https://www.hippo.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.hippo.com/</a> Carl Hewitt — <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Hewitt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Hewitt</a> Stanford University — <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.stanford.edu/</a> MIT — <a href="https://web.mit.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://web.mit.edu/</a> Actor Model — <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actor_model" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actor_model</a> Marvin Minsky — <a href="http://web.media.mit.edu/%7Eminsky/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://web.media.mit.edu/~minsky/</a> Tensorflex on GitHub— <a href="https://github.com/anshuman23/tensorflex" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://github.com/anshuman23/tensorflex</a> Matrex on GitHub — <a href="https://github.com/versilov/matrex" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://github.com/versilov/matrex</a> Handbook of Neuroevolution Through Erlang — <a href="https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9781461444626" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9781461444626</a> Markov Decision Process — <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markov_decision_process" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markov_decision_process</a> Amazon Web Services — <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://aws.amazon.com/</a> The Little Elixir &amp; OTP Guidebook — <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Little-Elixir-OTP-Guidebook/dp/1633430111" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Little-Elixir-OTP-Guidebook/dp/1633430111</a> Elon Musk — <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/</a> Welcome to the Era of Deep Neuroevolution — <a href="https://eng.uber.com/deep-neuroevolution/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://eng.uber.com/deep-neuroevolution/</a> Kenneth O. Stanley — <a href="https://www.cs.ucf.edu/%7Ekstanley/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.cs.ucf.edu/~kstanley/</a> Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective — <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Why-Greatness-Cannot-Planned-Objective/dp/3319155237/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Why-Greatness-Cannot-Planned-Objective/dp/3319155237/</a> University of Florida — <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.ufl.edu/</a> Uber Air — <a href="https://www.uber.com/us/es/elevate/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.uber.com/us/es/elevate/</a> Jeff Bezos — <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeff-bezos/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeff-bezos/</a> Sprint — <a href="https://www.thesprintbook.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.thesprintbook.com/</a> Adobe — <a href="https://www.adobe.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.adobe.com/</a> Horde — <a href="https://www.horde.org/development/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.horde.org/development/</a> Libcluster on GitHub — <a href="https://github.com/dsteinberg/libcluster" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://github.com/dsteinberg/libcluster</a> Swift for Tensorflow — <a href="https://www.tensorflow.org/swift" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.tensorflow.org/swift</a> Triplebyte Blog — <a href="https://triplebyte.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://triplebyte.com/blog</a> EquiTrader — <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/equitrader/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/equitrader/</a> BloXroute Labs — <a href="https://bloxroute.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bloxroute.com/</a> Holochain — <a href="https://holochain.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://holochain.org/</a> Michał Muskała on GitHub — <a href="https://github.com/michalmuskala" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://github.com/michalmuskala</a> Jason on GitHub — <a href="https://github.com/michalmuskala/jason" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://github.com/michalmuskala/jason</a> Todd Resudek on LinkedIn — <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddresudek/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddresudek/</a> Whatsapp — <a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.whatsapp.com/</a> CERN — <a href="https://home.cern/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://home.cern/</a> Ralph Kaminski — <a href="https://ralphkaminski.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://ralphkaminski.com/</a> Jayme Edwards — <a href="https://jaymeedwards.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://jaymeedwards.com/</a>Special Guest: Eric Steen.

Eric Steen on Neuroevolution in AI 

Colorado-based artist Eric Steen brings together home brewers from around the city to brew beer, share tips, sample each others creations, and learn more about the science and creativity found in home brewing. Curated by Esa Nickle.

Eric Steen - Brew Day