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Greetings all,

In this week’s episode of Ventures, my guest Daniel Wilson and I discuss his work with International Literacy and Development (ILAD, https://ilad.ngo/), specifically in the area of human language technology. We talk about the landscape of low-resourced languages that are unfortunately going extinct, why it’s important to preserve these language communities, and how technology can be used to develop languages and promote literacy. We also tee-up how Web3 will be able to accelerate literacy and development work worldwide, which talk about in more depth in Part 2 (which will be released next week).

Check it out: Advancing Human Language Technology for International Literacy and Development :: with Daniel Wilson, PhD

Web3’s Promise for Social Impact

This week’s episode of Ventures is part 1 of a 2-part episode series on how Web3 can help promote human flourishing globally. For part 1, Daniel and I wanted to help lay the groundwork specifically for why development & literacy work - facilitated with technology - is necessary before we can get too far ahead with Web3 (e.g. DeFi, payments, DAOs, etc…).  

In part 2 (next week), we dive more specifically into Web3 and global impact. It’s an exciting time to be alive and see how the advancements in technology at every layer of the stack - from power and Internet infrastructure to blockchains and DAOs - can improve lives for everyone.

What struck me about today’s episode is the importance of preserving languages. It shocks me that so many are seemingly OK with thousands of languages going extinct, when - in reality - the richness of these traditions can teach us a tremendous amount about ourselves and our world.

I’m excited to spend more time diving deeply into the intersection of Web3 and human flourishing. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the team at ILAD and am excited to help participate in projects with them moving forward (more details soon!).

Have a great rest of your week,

~Will