October 17, 2025 • 10 mins
Jeff Burningham, author of The Last Book Written by a Human: Becoming Wise in the Age of AI, joins host Kevin Cirilli to explore how artificial intelligence mirrors the human mind. Is AI reflecting our creativity and compassion—or our fear and bias? Together, they unpack what this technology says about who we are and who we’re becoming, and how that reflection might help us grow wiser in the age of machines.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Physics World has an amazing article out lost in the
mirror as artificial intelligence development gathers momentum. Will it reflect
humanity's best.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Or worst attributes?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I mean it sounds like it's a headline registrate from
a science fiction novel. Hello Future, it's me keV. This
is a dispatch from the Digital Frontier. My name is
Kevin Surreally. The year is twenty twenty five, the planet
is Planet Earth. And my guest today is someone who
knows a lot about artificial intelligence, a lot about building business,
(00:41):
and honestly a lot about my old world. Maybe I'll
go back to it, Maybe I won't. Politics. Jeff Burningham
is his name, and Jeff is a tech entrepreneur and investor.
National best selling author his new book I love the
title of his new book, and I was reading the
advanced copy that his team sent me. It's called The
(01:02):
Last Book Written by a Human, The last book written
by a human, and it's available now. However you get
your books Becoming Wise in the Age of AI, the
last book written by a human, Becoming Wise in the
Age of a I. And one of the chapters in
this book is exactly about this Physics World article, which
(01:25):
is artificial intelligence mirroring humanity? And if it is mirroring humanity,
is it mirroring our best or our worst attributes? And
that's where I want to start the conversation with Jet Burningham,
who's also a Peak Capital Partner's founder of Peak Capital Partners.
He has started Runner, been an early investor in more
(01:46):
than a dozen companies, and got his start building a
tech startup as an undergrad and then sold it to
NASDAC listed company. Not bad for a kid from Utah.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Right, You're from Utah, yeah, Kevin, I'm here in Utah.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
All right, So let's start with this question. Is AI
mirroring humanity? Is humanity mirroring AI? And what should that
mean for us? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
I think it's critical. I think AI is a cosmic
mirror to humanity. It takes all of recorded data, human data,
doesn't have to forget, It notices how we interact with it,
and then offers a reflection back to us. And so
in that regard, AI is a cosmic mirror, and a
(02:31):
reflection can be a scary thing, especially when it reflects
the amount of division, hate, etc. That we may see
or feel. But luckily, as is often the case, I
think that the obstacle becomes the Way. Here I think
there is power in this reflection, and I hope and
the book is written so that we can focus AI
(02:55):
on human flourishing instead of human struction or division.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So you mentioned so many philosophical questions here in The
Obstacle is the Way a great book by Ryan Holiday
stoicism and really looking into that. But really what you
seek is what you find, as all of the religions
will well at some point reflect or philosophers and whatnot.
(03:22):
Do you think right now we are on a path, Jeff,
from all of your wisdom in writing this book and
as a tech entrepreneur, do you think that we are
on a path of programming artificial intelligence with the best
of humanity or the worst?
Speaker 2 (03:38):
It seems like the worst. When I ran for governor
in the state of Utah, it was crazy. I had
obviously events all over the state, and I would see
neighbors who share, you know, so much more in common
at each other's throats, I mean, like upset with each
other lifestyle kind of quoting or regurgitating back at the
(04:00):
I'll say that quote unquote almighty algorithm of social media
had fed into their feed about the other side, whether
you're liberal or conservative, or whatever the case may be.
And so certainly AI has the potential to exacerbate differences,
and I think that those differences, whether you're liberal or conservative, white, black, male, female, etc.
(04:23):
Et cetera, are largely illusory or they are an illusion
compared to the divine unity that is underneath all of
this existence, that is girding up this existence. You and
I are connected in ways that we don't even maybe
fully recognize or understand right now, and so we can
(04:44):
continue to play what I call in the book this
old game of division where it's us versus them tribalism.
But when you layer on top where we're currently at
with the let's say godlike technology of AI that supercharge
that or could supercharge that, that is a recipe I
think for disaster. I'm a father of four, I'm actually
(05:08):
I have one grandson, so I'm a grandpa, and I'm
concerned about the future that we're leaving for our children
if we don't point AI towards human flourishing. And that's
why the book is laid out in the way that
it is, with disruption, reflection, transformation individually, and then ultimately
(05:30):
evolution of our institutions that serve most of humanity.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
You know, what I love about the book is that
it's not one of those artificial intelligence books that's just
going into the science or the technologists who we always
interview on this program, which is important, but you lean
into the spiritual of the technology, which I think is
what so many people are craving. You mentioned politics, but
(05:57):
you know it's also just worldview and hate. And you know,
I remember that one of the great movie with a
younger Haley Joel Osmon artificial Intelligence, where he's a robot.
It's it's kind of a twist on a classic Disney
tail of Pinocchio. Disney's not a Pinocchio, didn't come from Disney,
but what I associate with my version of Pinocchio is
(06:17):
a Disney cartoon. But at the end of this prompt,
you give prompts in your book and you say, sit
with or meditate on this idea. Is it possible that
my outer experience is really a reflection of my inner
world and state of being? But see, I am looking
at artificial intelligence and I'm thinking of Sam Altman, Elon Musk,
(06:38):
Jeff Bezos, these these technologists who and I'm thinking of them,
and I'm wondering are they thinking like Benjamin Franklin, Are
they thinking like the founders of our country? Or and
are they learning from the successes and yes, the failures
of the Internet age, the Internet age of social media
(07:03):
and the mental health crisis that our country, our communities
find ourselves in because of this addiction to social media,
which placed profit an addiction above human connection. And so
as we have even now a more powerful tool that
can help us cure diseases, help us to reach for
the stars, get to other worlds, other planets. To your point,
(07:26):
are we thinking like explorers or are these technologists thinking
more putting profits over people.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Yeah, it's a great question. I don't know how you feel, Kevin,
but I believe that we're all on our own heroes
journey and that humanity as a whole is on a
collective heroic journey. Here's our reflection in the mirror, and
we get to step into that journey further or not.
So are those individuals you mentioned looking at it like
(07:57):
Benjamin Franklin or are they put seeing others before themselves
their bottom line, maybe corporate profits or whatever the case
may be. It appears they're not. I think it would
be hard to argue that is the case. However, I
don't think it's over yet. I think this is a
story that's being written. I think that the outcome is uncertain.
(08:19):
I think that we as humans have the opportunity to
influence that. I believe that our leaders, politically especially, but
other and otherwise are a reflection of us. So certainly
political leaders, CEOs, religious leaders I talk about reforming religion
(08:39):
in the book, are all going to have the opportunity
to say, are we going to double down on what's
best for us at the expense of larger humanity? Are
we going to step into our hero's journey? We're going
to I'm saying, quote unquote lay down our lives for
our friends. In other words, choose things that are better
(09:01):
for humanity than for us for the next selection for
the next quarterly earnings report. I know this is a
high bar. I know it's a big ask, but I
don't see any other way. AI is providing an age
where each of us get to choose what path we take.
Do we step into our heroic journey, you know, putting
(09:25):
others in front of ourselves, making sure that love is
the fabric of what we're doing, that flourishing is at
the heart of what we're working towards or not. I mean,
like the decisions up to us. These aren't easy decisions.
I'm not. The book, the last book written by a human,
is a bold case for AI. But that's because what's
the alternative AI is happening. We can't say it's not
(09:48):
going to happen. We can't say we can't be in
total fear of it. What are the possible positive outcomes
for humanity? And what I postulate in the book is
that AI, because of its ygenic nature, because that it's
such a powerful tool compared to any other tool we've created,
(10:09):
it could upgrade humanity. It could upgrade let's say, like
Eckart Tools says, it could help create a new earth
that focuses and, like I said, helps more humans flourish.
I think that's the potential possibility here. Will we seize it?
I don't know, that's up to us. That's why I
wrote the book. Yeah, that's what I'm admonishing and advocating
(10:32):
for in the book. But we shall see.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Jeff Birningham, a chairman of Peak Capital Partners, author of
the Great New Book the last book written by a
human becoming wise in the age of AI. I know
you're going to come back on very shortly, so thanks
so much, and available where all books are sold. Thank you,
Jeff Kevin.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Good to be with you.
Physics World has an amazing article out lost in the
mirror as artificial intelligence development gathers momentum. Will it reflect
humanity's best.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Or worst attributes?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I mean it sounds like it's a headline registrate from
a science fiction novel. Hello Future, it's me keV. This
is a dispatch from the Digital Frontier. My name is
Kevin Surreally. The year is twenty twenty five, the planet
is Planet Earth. And my guest today is someone who
knows a lot about artificial intelligence, a lot about building business,
(00:41):
and honestly a lot about my old world. Maybe I'll
go back to it, Maybe I won't. Politics. Jeff Burningham
is his name, and Jeff is a tech entrepreneur and investor.
National best selling author his new book I love the
title of his new book, and I was reading the
advanced copy that his team sent me. It's called The
(01:02):
Last Book Written by a Human, The last book written
by a human, and it's available now. However you get
your books Becoming Wise in the Age of AI, the
last book written by a human, Becoming Wise in the
Age of a I. And one of the chapters in
this book is exactly about this Physics World article, which
(01:25):
is artificial intelligence mirroring humanity? And if it is mirroring humanity,
is it mirroring our best or our worst attributes? And
that's where I want to start the conversation with Jet Burningham,
who's also a Peak Capital Partner's founder of Peak Capital Partners.
He has started Runner, been an early investor in more
(01:46):
than a dozen companies, and got his start building a
tech startup as an undergrad and then sold it to
NASDAC listed company. Not bad for a kid from Utah.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Right, You're from Utah, yeah, Kevin, I'm here in Utah.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
All right, So let's start with this question. Is AI
mirroring humanity? Is humanity mirroring AI? And what should that
mean for us? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
I think it's critical. I think AI is a cosmic
mirror to humanity. It takes all of recorded data, human data,
doesn't have to forget, It notices how we interact with it,
and then offers a reflection back to us. And so
in that regard, AI is a cosmic mirror, and a
(02:31):
reflection can be a scary thing, especially when it reflects
the amount of division, hate, etc. That we may see
or feel. But luckily, as is often the case, I
think that the obstacle becomes the Way. Here I think
there is power in this reflection, and I hope and
the book is written so that we can focus AI
(02:55):
on human flourishing instead of human struction or division.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So you mentioned so many philosophical questions here in The
Obstacle is the Way a great book by Ryan Holiday
stoicism and really looking into that. But really what you
seek is what you find, as all of the religions
will well at some point reflect or philosophers and whatnot.
(03:22):
Do you think right now we are on a path, Jeff,
from all of your wisdom in writing this book and
as a tech entrepreneur, do you think that we are
on a path of programming artificial intelligence with the best
of humanity or the worst?
Speaker 2 (03:38):
It seems like the worst. When I ran for governor
in the state of Utah, it was crazy. I had
obviously events all over the state, and I would see
neighbors who share, you know, so much more in common
at each other's throats, I mean, like upset with each
other lifestyle kind of quoting or regurgitating back at the
(04:00):
I'll say that quote unquote almighty algorithm of social media
had fed into their feed about the other side, whether
you're liberal or conservative, or whatever the case may be.
And so certainly AI has the potential to exacerbate differences,
and I think that those differences, whether you're liberal or conservative, white, black, male, female, etc.
(04:23):
Et cetera, are largely illusory or they are an illusion
compared to the divine unity that is underneath all of
this existence, that is girding up this existence. You and
I are connected in ways that we don't even maybe
fully recognize or understand right now, and so we can
(04:44):
continue to play what I call in the book this
old game of division where it's us versus them tribalism.
But when you layer on top where we're currently at
with the let's say godlike technology of AI that supercharge
that or could supercharge that, that is a recipe I
think for disaster. I'm a father of four, I'm actually
(05:08):
I have one grandson, so I'm a grandpa, and I'm
concerned about the future that we're leaving for our children
if we don't point AI towards human flourishing. And that's
why the book is laid out in the way that
it is, with disruption, reflection, transformation individually, and then ultimately
(05:30):
evolution of our institutions that serve most of humanity.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
You know, what I love about the book is that
it's not one of those artificial intelligence books that's just
going into the science or the technologists who we always
interview on this program, which is important, but you lean
into the spiritual of the technology, which I think is
what so many people are craving. You mentioned politics, but
(05:57):
you know it's also just worldview and hate. And you know,
I remember that one of the great movie with a
younger Haley Joel Osmon artificial Intelligence, where he's a robot.
It's it's kind of a twist on a classic Disney
tail of Pinocchio. Disney's not a Pinocchio, didn't come from Disney,
but what I associate with my version of Pinocchio is
(06:17):
a Disney cartoon. But at the end of this prompt,
you give prompts in your book and you say, sit
with or meditate on this idea. Is it possible that
my outer experience is really a reflection of my inner
world and state of being? But see, I am looking
at artificial intelligence and I'm thinking of Sam Altman, Elon Musk,
(06:38):
Jeff Bezos, these these technologists who and I'm thinking of them,
and I'm wondering are they thinking like Benjamin Franklin, Are
they thinking like the founders of our country? Or and
are they learning from the successes and yes, the failures
of the Internet age, the Internet age of social media
(07:03):
and the mental health crisis that our country, our communities
find ourselves in because of this addiction to social media,
which placed profit an addiction above human connection. And so
as we have even now a more powerful tool that
can help us cure diseases, help us to reach for
the stars, get to other worlds, other planets. To your point,
(07:26):
are we thinking like explorers or are these technologists thinking
more putting profits over people.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Yeah, it's a great question. I don't know how you feel, Kevin,
but I believe that we're all on our own heroes
journey and that humanity as a whole is on a
collective heroic journey. Here's our reflection in the mirror, and
we get to step into that journey further or not.
So are those individuals you mentioned looking at it like
(07:57):
Benjamin Franklin or are they put seeing others before themselves
their bottom line, maybe corporate profits or whatever the case
may be. It appears they're not. I think it would
be hard to argue that is the case. However, I
don't think it's over yet. I think this is a
story that's being written. I think that the outcome is uncertain.
(08:19):
I think that we as humans have the opportunity to
influence that. I believe that our leaders, politically especially, but
other and otherwise are a reflection of us. So certainly
political leaders, CEOs, religious leaders I talk about reforming religion
(08:39):
in the book, are all going to have the opportunity
to say, are we going to double down on what's
best for us at the expense of larger humanity? Are
we going to step into our hero's journey? We're going
to I'm saying, quote unquote lay down our lives for
our friends. In other words, choose things that are better
(09:01):
for humanity than for us for the next selection for
the next quarterly earnings report. I know this is a
high bar. I know it's a big ask, but I
don't see any other way. AI is providing an age
where each of us get to choose what path we take.
Do we step into our heroic journey, you know, putting
(09:25):
others in front of ourselves, making sure that love is
the fabric of what we're doing, that flourishing is at
the heart of what we're working towards or not. I mean,
like the decisions up to us. These aren't easy decisions.
I'm not. The book, the last book written by a human,
is a bold case for AI. But that's because what's
the alternative AI is happening. We can't say it's not
(09:48):
going to happen. We can't say we can't be in
total fear of it. What are the possible positive outcomes
for humanity? And what I postulate in the book is
that AI, because of its ygenic nature, because that it's
such a powerful tool compared to any other tool we've created,
(10:09):
it could upgrade humanity. It could upgrade let's say, like
Eckart Tools says, it could help create a new earth
that focuses and, like I said, helps more humans flourish.
I think that's the potential possibility here. Will we seize it?
I don't know, that's up to us. That's why I
wrote the book. Yeah, that's what I'm admonishing and advocating
(10:32):
for in the book. But we shall see.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Jeff Birningham, a chairman of Peak Capital Partners, author of
the Great New Book the last book written by a
human becoming wise in the age of AI. I know
you're going to come back on very shortly, so thanks
so much, and available where all books are sold. Thank you,
Jeff Kevin.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Good to be with you.
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