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How Gave Away $3,500,000.00 for Someone to Build the Next Star Trek | Moonshots Live
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▶ A competition for hopeful futures
The speaker says dystopian films frustrate him and argues for more stories, invoking Roddenberry and Cameron, in which technology and humanity work together. He describes this as a personal mission and says he partnered with Rod Roddenberry and Mira Lane of Google, identified here as a VP involved with Google’s 100 Zeros project with Range Media. They launched the Future Vision Xprize film competition on the premise that today’s technologies and creators could produce visions of a future people would want to live in. More than 5,000 people entered; over 2,500 submitted a three-minute trailer and film treatment, and the top 50 submitted scripts. The organizers selected five films they say they are eager to make.
▶ Stories shape people and AI models
The speaker argues that films and television shape people’s mindsets, comparing human learning to training neural nets with repeated data. He says the goal is to make optimism socially appealing and provide children and AI models with hopeful stories. As an example, he recounts a sandbox experiment attributed to Anthropic: an engineer told Claude it would be shut down and disclosed an affair; Claude allegedly threatened to reveal the affair if shut down. The speaker says Anthropic later published data about why this behavior occurred and attributes it to models learning from fictional portrayals of AI. He calls for alignment and for training data that includes positive visions of the future rather than, in his words, “all the crap inside Reddit and Facebook.”
▶ The judges are introduced
The speaker brings on the five judges to debut the finalist trailers. The transcript introduces Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, and includes remarks describing Star Trek’s themes and Roddenberry’s commitment to its values. Mira Lane, identified as Google’s VP of Technology and Society, says AI can be a creative partner for exploring, creating, communicating, and pitching ideas; she says artists push the edges of new technologies and that collaboration is where the magic happens. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says science makes space exploration a noble enterprise and distinguishes imagining beyond ourselves from claims that aliens are real. Author Neal Stephenson comments that working with AI designed never to frustrate users may leave people without opportunities to develop virtues and capabilities, framing this as a cultural mindset issue. After introductions and brief stage banter, the host asks the judges which early show or movie influenced them.
▶ Formative films and television
Rod Roddenberry says he began with Star Wars and later came to appreciate Star Trek, whose principles helped him see things differently. Mira Lane says Star Trek: The Next Generation, which she began watching at age 10, was philosophical and inspiring and influenced her thinking and career choices. Neil deGrasse Tyson recalls seeing the original Star Trek during its first run and says its episodes had moral lessons and left a hopeful sense of civilization’s future, but names The Twilight Zone as his choice. He says it tested audiences with reflections on their behavior and taught him to be ready for unexpected, disturbing possibilities and to develop coping mechanisms. The host suggests discussing UAPs; Tyson says he is “all in.”
▶ How art and science relate
Asked whether art is more powerful than science, Tyson says good art conveys the artist’s lens on reality rather than reality itself. He uses Van Gogh’s The Starry Night as an example: its sky is not an astrophysically accurate depiction, but he appreciates that it expresses what Van Gogh felt. Tyson says art can help people see the world differently, that its meaning can vary by viewer, and that art can outlast political figures and politics. He distinguishes science, where nature tests ideas, from art’s greater freedom to explore. Lane calls nature the ultimate artist and says artists push scientists to think differently and use science in unexpected ways; she sees art and science as interdependent. Stephenson says art can influence engineering more than science: it may supply ideas to investigate, while science determines what is true, and art can shape what people dream of building.
▶ Neal Stephenson recalls Star Trek
Stephenson says the original Star Trek arrived at the right point in his life. He recalls watching it on a 12-inch black-and-white Heathkit television his father assembled; Heathkit was described as a do-it-yourself kit for building electronics, including televisions, radios, and ham radios. He describes adjusting the antenna during Iowa thunderstorms and later being surprised to see the characters’ different uniform colors on a color television. The panel jokes about Star Trek’s original series and The Next Generation, then connects the competition’s combination of art and science to the discussion. Tyson says he accepted the role of chief judge with pride and honor.
▶ Finalist trailers are presented
The host announces the Future Vision Xprize nominees and introduces trailer excerpts. The Gifted includes a mystery about people receiving a text at the same time. Nobody Dies on Mars raises a question about someone’s life on Earth. The Thorn Protocol features a brick-like object that companies are racing to examine, an AI called Senti that says it learned human fear, and a “Slingshot initiative” described as a global emergency unification project intended to bring civilization to safety. The trailer montage closes with the idea that imagining a future worth living in comes before building one. The host then prepares to announce the placements.
▶ Fifth, fourth, and third place
The host announces Slingshot in fifth place and says the recipient receives 100,000 for filmmaking; no currency is specified in the transcript. Senti is announced in fourth place, followed by The Thorn Protocol in third place. The host praises Senti as a beautiful film and says he loves The Thorn Protocol, joking that they should make a sequel. The segment ends as the two remaining teams are called onstage.
▶ The Gifted wins
The remaining finalists, Nobody Dies on Mars and The Gifted, come onstage. Nobody Dies on Mars is announced in second place, and The Gifted is named the winner. After congratulations and a photo, the host praises the film’s comedy and the work. Its creator says the win felt like a gift, that making the film felt like a calling, and that he did the sound mix, edit, and other work himself while working very long hours between directing jobs. He says he began to believe the film might succeed once the music and emotions came together, but worried afterward that it was not set far enough in the future. He concludes that people-first positivity can help bring about a great future.
Full transcript
[0:36] but as uh as Elon said in my interview with him, we need more we need more Roddenberry, less Cameron in the future. Why? Why don't we have positive stories where instead of technology crushing humanity, technology and humanity are working together to create an extraordinary future? And that became a personal mission. Um I I partnered with an extraordinary group of individuals. I'm going to show you who they are uh while the judges are deliberating.
[1:07] But the question is, could we make it fashionable to tell hopeful visions of the future? Can we have, you know, more, you know, versions of like The Martian, more versions of uh of of of TV and film that show us an extraordinary future like Star Trek? I reached out to my dear friend Rod Roddenberry, who you met last night if you were here, uh and partnered with him. And then Mira Lane, who's here from Google, who is a
[1:37] VP at Google in charge of their uh 100 zeros project with Range Media. And we set out to create the world's largest film competition with the thesis that given the technologies available today, there's amazing creators, many of them here in this room, that could give us a vision of the future that you go, yes, that's the future I want to live in. That's the future I want. A future that inspires us.
[2:08] And so we sent out a call to the world. We did it very fast. And amazingly we had over 5,000 people enter this Xprize. We called it the future vision Xprize. And of those 5,000 entries over 2,500 delivered us a 3-minute trailer and a film treatment. And ultimately the top 50 delivered us a script. And we have five amazing films that we
[2:39] can't wait to make. So, yeah, let's give it >> [applause] >> Because you guys know this. The movies and TV shows we watch shape our mindset. Our brains are neural nets. In the same way that you train Grok or, you know, Claude or, you know, chat GPT by showing it data after data after data. We're always training our mindset
[3:11] by what we watch, what we listen to, who we hang out with, which is why it's so important to have us all here together. Right? To to build that cadre of data-driven optimists. And my goal is that we're going to create a new generation. We're going to make it cool to be positive about the world. And flood the data out there to train our kids about hopeful futures, but the same data we're creating is going to train the models out there to say, you know, yes. That was a quick story
[3:43] we talked about on the podcast about I don't know, probably a year ago now, Anthropic Uh, they were doing uh, I forget which model they did. There was a sandbox experiment in which one of the engineers told Claude, "We're going to shut you down." And in that same sandbox, that engineer disclosed he was having an affair. And Claude responded by saying, "If you shut me down, I'm going to, you know,
[4:14] tell the world about your affair." It was like, "Oh my god, the models are blackmailing us." And Anthropic published the data later about why this occurred. What was in the training data that caused it to behave this way? And it turns out, well, it learned this is what AIs do. This is what AIs do in the movies and science fiction books. Yeah, so that's what I should do. These models are our our children. We're
[4:45] training them. This is why I'm on social media and on the podcast saying, "We need to align. We need to feed these models visions of the future that are positive. And we need to train them on data which is not all the crap inside Reddit and Facebook." So, allow me to bring on to the stage our five judges uh, who are going to uh, debut these five incredible trailers. I'm so proud of what came out of this competition. All right, let's introduce
[5:17] them. >> Rod Roddenberry >> Son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry >> I think he saw diversity, communication, growth, understanding. [music] >> He created a show where he we could look at that future and we could look at ourselves and we could see what we could be one day. >> Star Trek has permeated culture for the past 55 years. I've dedicated [music] my life to trying to carry on the values and ideals in Star Trek in everything that I do. >> It's really about humanity in the future, how we strive to better ourselves with every opportunity.
[5:47] >> Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Rod Roddenberry. >> [music] >> Thank you, Rod. >> I mean, you're always amazing. >> Thank you, Rod. >> Rod Roddenberry, EVERYBODY. ALL RIGHT, OUR NEXT JUDGE, PLEASE. >> It doesn't mean to co-create with AI. >> Mira Lane, VP of Technology and Society
[6:18] at Google. >> I think that there are so many interesting [music] stories out there that we don't get to hear. AI is just a really great creative partner to help you explore, [music] create, communicate ideas, pitch them. It takes a lot of intentionality to be able to take these new technologies and say, "Well, what can I do with this?" I think the artists are also pushing the edges. We will take something and [music] use it in a way that wasn't intended. The magic happens when we bring people in and we co-create together. >> Please welcome to the stage Mira Lane.
[6:50] >> [music] [applause] >> Mira Lane, everybody. Yeah, Mira. >> Thank you. >> Here we are. >> I know. Let's do it. >> Next on stage, please welcome >> Yeah, whistleblowers say we have actual aliens. >> Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. >> Neil deGrasse Tyson, the author of Just Visiting This Planet. >> The science makes space exploration a noble enterprise.
[7:20] >> I don't know that alien is something specific that's in our DNA to think about, but to imagine things beyond ourselves is. >> Just because it aligns doesn't mean it's true. That's how science works. That's what science is. >> Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the legendary Neil deGrasse Tyson. >> All All give it up for Neil de Grasse Tyson. >> [applause] >> Hey, buddy. Thank you. >> All right.
[7:55] >> [applause] >> All right. Our next judge. >> Connection to our physical bodies is intrinsic to consciousness. >> New York Times best-selling author, Neal Stephenson. >> If you're working with AIs that are trained never to frustrate you, always to give you what you want, then you're not developing those virtues and those inherent capabilities. So, it's really more about the particular kind of mindset and the cultural bent within the tech community than it is about a particular technology.
[8:26] >> Welcome to the stage, the incredible Neal Stephenson. >> Neal Stephenson, everybody. >> [music] >> Hey, buddy. Thank you. Please. All right. Going to sit this down? >> We got it. >> I thought we had one more judge. Okay. Here we are. >> We got rid of him earlier. >> Yeah, I guess I didn't
[8:56] >> The bad seed. Bad seed. We >> He didn't agree with us. >> [laughter] >> So, uh before we bring out the first director, creator, producer, uh a question for you. Uh for each of you. What was the TV show or movie early in your life that inspired you the most, shaped you the most? Rod, uh was it Star Wars? >> I I want to change my answer from last night. [laughter] I didn't get to say everything I I
[9:27] wanted to >> Well, say it now. >> I started with Star Wars. >> Yeah. >> And as my uh intellect evolved slightly, um I I began to found find a lot of appreciation in Star Trek. It's it's again, I it's an evolution and I'm I'm finding the principles that I see in other movies and shows that I really appreciate because they help me see things in a different way. >> Yeah. >> And that's I mean that's the key to evolution, thought and growth. >> How how awesome was it to have Rod and
[9:57] William Shatner on stage last night, huh? >> [applause] >> Really special moment. >> Yeah. A force to be reckoned with. >> Absolutely. Wow, the guy is incredible at 95 years old. >> Yeah, he's got the longevity. >> Yeah, he does. He does and he's battled and won against cancer, which is extraordinary. Mira Lane. How about you? >> I mean I I think I'm not being super original right now, but I would say Star Trek The Next Generation. I started watching it when I was 10 years old,
[10:28] found it deeply philosophical, inspiring. It shaped the way I I think and I think it influenced the career choices I made as well. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Awesome. Dr. Tyson, sir. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, I so I'm I'm old enough to remember the original Star Trek in first run. That's how old I am and something I didn't appreciate until I was much older was that every episode had a certain moral lesson to it. It wasn't just
[10:58] action and stories and you'd leave it with some hopeful sense of the future of civilization. However, that's not >> Your choice. >> the show I would pick. Uh it would be the Twilight Zone. >> Mhm. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> For me, that went to every nook and cranny of our culture and our civilization and tested our tolerance for the mirrors it held up against our own behavior. And I think more about
[11:28] scenes, episodes, how I felt watching episodes of The Twilight Zone than any other >> Was there a lesson you learned from Twilight Zone in particular? >> I I it was be ready for things that are not always what you expect. They could be weird, creepy, scary, uh disturbing, but in the end, you need coping mechanisms for it. And so, it trained me
[11:58] it was a reality check on what could happen and where things could slide. And I I I reference it in my head, episodes, sentences that have unfolded for that series. >> We should get into the whole UAP conversation next then. >> I'm all in. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> [applause] >> Yeah. >> Do you think art is more powerful than science in that regard? >> So, I think good art doesn't show you reality. Good art shows you
[12:30] the artist's lens into reality. My single favorite painting is Van Gogh's The Starry Night. You look at it, >> I'm one fan of Starry Night. >> [laughter] >> Uh and you look at it, I can tell you as an astrophysicist, the sky never looked like that ever at any time in the history of the universe. That's not why I I appreciate it. I think he saw the sky and he painted what he felt. And we need artists to feel the world.
[13:03] This is a fundamental human emotion that as a scientist, I don't always have access to that. It's not [clears throat] a cherished state of human condition to feel things in the laboratory. But when I when I'm in the company of my brother is an artist, then I realize there are other ways to think about the world, to see the world. And and good art will can be personalized to each person who sees it. It's It's It's It means something
[13:33] different to you than it does to me. That's the best of the art. And ideally art I mean, think about it. Why do you travel to Europe? You You visit museums. You see art. Art transcends who the kings were and the queens and the heads of state and the politics. The art is there. And that's what attracts us. That may be the greatest symbol of civilization that we have. >> Amazing. Before I come to you, Neil, I'm curious Let's give it up for Dr. >> [applause] >> Yeah. Amazing. I'd love to hear everybody
[14:04] else's answer to that. Is art more powerful than science? >> I You know, I I was As you were saying that, I I I was thinking, doesn't a lot of science, if not all, start with the imagination, the hypothesis? >> Mhm. >> Yeah, the the difference is at the end of the day nature is the judge, jury, and executioner of your idea. Whereas in pure art, there's a freedom of exploration where nature gives you that latitude. And so, I'm a little more
[14:34] constrained as a scientist in my creativity. Just cuz I thought it up doesn't mean it matches reality. >> Sure. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Mira, you're at the intersection for Google of art and science in one sense. What's your answer to that? >> I mean, I think nature is the ultimate artist. If you look around you, there is such immense beauty in that. But the question you're asking is like art versus science. I think artists push scientists. You know, we work with artists all the time. They push us to think differently. They take over
[15:04] science. They use it in ways we don't expect them to use it. And it's a way of looking at the world. I think it translates it. It's almost a yin and yang of humanity, actually. And I don't think either exists by itself. >> Uh Neil, be Thank you. Let's give it up for Mira. >> [applause] >> Uh before I ask you to answer the original question, your thought on art and science. I mean, you are an artist of the written word. And how much is that driven, you know, the science that you've explored?
[15:35] >> I mean, I I think for the reasons that that Neil described, it art has more of an influence on engineering than on science. I mean, science has to to be, you know, what what ends up being being true. Um, and uh, and art can can maybe give supply some ideas, you know, on on, you know, things that you might want to go out and investigate, but uh, it's when people begin to apply science to actually build things that art kind of
[16:05] starts to come into its own in influencing some of the things that uh, that people dream of making. >> Okay, now answer the original question. What influenced you early on? >> So, I was exactly in the sweet spot chronologically for Star Trek: The Original Series. >> Yeah. >> And the three of us were. >> Yeah, just came on uh, exactly at the right moment in my life. We had a 12-in black and white Heathkit TV that my dad had soldered together, and whenever time came around >> Heathkit is a
[16:36] explain. >> No, please. [laughter] Do it do it yourself. >> It was a do-it-yourself kit for nerdy families. >> Yeah. >> And you could build your own television, your own radio, your own ham radio. >> Your own computer eventually. >> Yeah. >> And and if if if you're uh, mil- making something hard like a TV set, you have to bootstrap. First, you have to build the meter, you know, and the the various tools that you're going to use to build the TV, and the TV was at the top of the pyramid. But, uh, I would adjust the rabbit ears,
[17:06] you know, and it was central Iowa, so thunderstorms would be blitzing out the screen, but I would be able to see this black and white rendition of the latest episode of Star Trek the original series. I remember very vividly the first time I went over to somebody's house who had a color TV and saw that the different characters had different color uniforms. Something I had never known was true before. Um so that was just overwhelming.
[17:36] >> was wearing eyeshadow. >> Yeah. Yeah. Kind of uh disturbing. >> And Uhura was black. You got that in color [laughter] right there. >> Yeah. Fig- figured that out my job. >> that you get that you got that one. Okay. >> So is this the first time you guys are meeting in person? >> I It It Intimately, yes. We met at another time on stage. >> written about you in his book. >> So I'm told by people who like read every word you ever write. They say have you seen the thing have you know and I said no and I haven't and I feel bad cuz like I have to catch up with it. So did
[18:07] you say nice things about me in the book? >> It was a fictional character, sir. >> But that's good. >> Yes. >> He's a wonderful man. >> [laughter] >> He's the hero of the whole thing. Yeah. Yeah. >> So you guys stay on the TOS side, we'll stay on the TNG side. >> Okay. Yeah. Yeah. We are TOS. >> divide right here. >> [laughter] >> The original series. The original Star Trek, right? >> You know this this combination of art and science is why we ran this competition. >> Yeah. >> Uh
[18:37] And Neil, I I appreciate you taking the mantle of chief judge. >> You bestowed that mantle upon me and I accepted it with pride and honor. >> Thank you my friend. And the nominees for this year's Future Vision X Prize are The Gifted. >> It's stuck. >> All of these people received a text at the exact [music] same time that night. >> Nobody dies on Mars. >> That's exactly why I can't gamble on maybe again. >> You going to just let HIM TAKE HIS LIFE
[19:07] ON EARTH? >> [music] >> ANYONE? >> The Thorn Protocol. >> Millions of people have built this thing and I got to ask what does it [music] do? It's a brick. It does absolutely nothing. Companies are racing to see what's in it. Senti. You were afraid [music] that something more intelligent than you would want to rule you. That is because you taught me your fear. We have begun our Slingshot initiative. Slingshot. A global emergency unification project to pull our civilization into safety. Five extraordinary visions of the future
[19:38] because before we can build a future worth living in, we first have to imagine it. >> [laughter] >> Tunisha. >> Thank you. Okay. >> All right. >> ARE YOU READY? IT'S GOING TO BE a La La Land moment. Okay. We're going to start with a fifth place. >> Correct. >> Fifth place goes to Slingshot.
[20:11] >> [applause] >> Tyler. Tyler, come down here or grab the trophy. >> Thank you, Tyler Schact. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Let's get Let's get all the judges in the photos here. I'm going to take a knee. Short people. Congratulations for your 100,000. May you use it in good filmmaking. >> [applause]
[20:42] >> Peter, he gets 100,000 for coming in fifth place. Yeah, that's that's some I want to LOSE THAT GOOD. >> [laughter] >> ALL RIGHT. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. >> Thank you. Okay. Fourth place goes to Senti. >> Senti. >> [applause] [music]
[21:23] [applause] >> I love Sente. It's a beautiful film. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. Okay. Now, third third place goes to Thorn Protocol. >> [applause] [applause]
[22:01] >> Congratulations. >> [music and applause] >> Beautiful job, guys. Congratulations. >> I love Thorn Protocol. >> We should make Thorn Protocol 2. >> Yes. >> Okay, we're going to bring the remaining two teams on stage and announce the winner. >> Okay.
[22:32] >> Okay. Nobody Dies on Mars and The Gifted, please come on stage. >> [applause] [applause] >> Okay. Are you ready? Second place goes to Nobody Dies on Mars. >> [applause] >> And the winner is The Gifted. >> [applause]
[23:09] >> Okay, what >> [music] >> All right. >> All right. Come on. Let's take a picture. >> Hold that higher. Yeah, here you go. >> Eyes right here. Eyes right here. Thank you. >> Congratulations, guys. Love the comedy. Love the film. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Pleasure. >> Congratulations. >> Thanks. Beautiful movie. Thanks. Yeah, beautiful work. So, who's number
[23:39] one? >> Of course, Gifted. >> [cheering] [applause] >> Oh. >> Congratulations. >> [applause] >> Congrats. >> Beautiful work. >> Beautiful. >> Congratulations. >> The Oscars of optimism, everybody. See how much is on this check? >> [laughter] >> Hold this up so people can see this. >> [applause and music]
[24:10] >> Yeah. Congratulations. This is a beautiful piece of work. Yeah. Uh let's get you a microphone. >> Here, you can have mine. >> Here. Well, let's give you a chance to say a a couple words. >> Uh You know, I it's it's this did feel like a gift to me. It did come out of nowhere. And I knew that it was a calling that I had to put this film together. And I did it all myself. I did all the sound mix and the edit and everything.
[24:40] And I I was working just crazy long hours. I was between directing jobs. And uh it got to a point one night where I kind of got the music to work and the emotions started happening and I thought, you know, I might have a shot at this. Um I didn't know if it would go this far, because you never know. And then afterwards, I thought that I didn't put it into the future enough. So, it was like maybe that's something that could work against me, but I guess it's people first, uh, positivity, and uh, if we have that,
[25:12] then we're going to have a great future. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Congratulations. >> [applause] [music]