Slide deck from the June 17, 2026 New Nature talk. Covers the Humboldt parallel, the Evil Twins Thesis (AI vs Protocols), the three-circle Venn diagram of AI/Protocols/Planetary, PI's Context Tank positioning, and the Special Interest Group research model.
An edited essay version of a June 2026 talk unpacking the Protocol Institute's core thesis: New Nature = AI and Protocols entangled at planetary scale. Develops the Humboldt analogy, the Evil Twins Thesis (AI as irresistible force, protocols as immovable objects), the three-circle Venn of AI/Protocols/Planetary, and PI's positioning as a Context Tank in the priceless-planetary quadrant.
Venkatesh Rao
The speaker outlines the genesis of Summer of Protocols, explaining how initial questions about Ethereum's governance and evolution revealed a broader gap in understanding protocols across disciplines. The initiative brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds to collaboratively develop a theory of protocols and increase protocol literacy through an intensive summer program.
Speaker 1, Venet
Protocolized announces the second annual Protocol Symposium, themed "Accelerating Order," featuring a September 12-14 Protocol Foundations workshop for mathematically oriented researchers and a September 15-19 Protocol School for those seeking foundational grounding in protocol studies from any background. Both events are free and invite-only with applications closing August 22.
Venkatesh Rao