Watch that step!

Until I stepped off the curb last Tuesday, September 20, at 11:45 pm, my plan was to begin?"31 Days of AI for Book-Lovers" on Saturday, October 1, to coincide with National Book Month in the US.?I was looking forward to making the case that large language model "AI" will transform the world for book-lovers more rapidly, more deeply, and more positively than anyone is anticipating. With a tight focus on high-quality codex-style book-length text, I planned to highlight innovative organizations; highlight independent creators; share samples from my code library; provide guided tours of the pertinent scientific literature; discuss key policy issues; and share impressive AI literary creations.

Unfortunately, that step off the curb resulted in the complete structural collapse of my legs, the left quad tendon rupturing first, then the right. In a manner somewhat like the WTC towers collapsing, I pancaked towards the ground and I wound up on my back in the middle of the street, unable to straighten my left knee or drag myself out of the road. During this process, the amazing human brain presented and integrated a huge stack of perceptions in microseconds and I quite distinctly thought "I'm going straight to surgery." (To be candid, books, AI and social media never entered my mind). I began calling for help.?

This was an interesting process in its own right--living the dream, "Help! I've fallen and can't get up!" It took about 20 minutes before anyone saw me. I had enough time to mull the rising threat of light pollution and wonder whether my wait would have been more pleasant if I had been able to see the Milky Way spread out above in its original splendor.?To keep this relevant to LinkedIn, let me add that I also had time for "A/B testing" on several variations on "Help", modulating volume and sense of desperation, then adding personal names for family members (I knew they were unlikely to hear), then inserting a periodic disclaimer "This is not a drill". To toss in a special item for the AI-on-LinkedIn crowd, I considered but discarded the option of yelling "Fire!", which didn't pass my "risk and safety" team's requirements for ethical alignment.

After ambulance ride, hospitalization, and MRI, I am now scheduled for bilateral open quad tendon repair tomorrow the 29th. I need to rethink October! As I mulled things over (very appropriate for the beginning of fall, which literally went right over my head) I realized that might be able to use this necessary announcement to "prime the pump". As I regain funciton over the next few months (which will be gradual), I will be ready to start fresh with new partners in the following areas related to using AI to make books greater than ever.

• - Authors, designers, editors, marketers, publishers, etc. using AI for book-writing & every aspect of the business of books.
• AI researchers, developers, and engineers with a passion for books who want to tackle some of the roadblocks involved in high-quality longform completions.?Researchers are a book-loving bunch, I know there are some of you with an itch to work on book AI.
• Large language model owners who want to see their models used for book creation. Many of the big organizations see the strategic value of encouraging the arts & entertainment sectors, but no one seems to have focused on books just yet.?The book world is uniquely upstream of media, politics, and education in a highly leverageable way.
• Intellectual property owners who want to be able to embiggen, upvalue, and create new content networks at the push of a button.

The better you are, the more I'm looking for you.?Drop me a note and we'll get connected this fall!?

As they're rolling me away, one last thought: the world needs the qualities that books bring to it, and the world of books needs its meeting with AI to be constructive. This is important. Connect with me on it.