Our Theme for PIRATE Night: #SteerTheMachine
What does it mean to be human in the age of machines?
PIRATE Night returns on August 28, 2025 - and this year, we’re diving into a theme that touches everything right now: the relationship between humans and intelligent machines. We’re calling it #SteerTheMachine. Here’s why it matters.
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In the last few weeks, my kids have used AI to create songs, do homework, analyze dance moves, read palms, and design their rooms. And these are just the things I've witnessed.
My kids are growing up with AI in their pockets - tools that could serve them or steer them. Every question they have? The machine has an answer. Yes, those answers are often suggestions filled with half-truths and bias. But they're mostly good enough. So my kids use AI often. I do too.
I'm fascinated by this technological leap and all its capabilities. At the same time, I'm terrified.
The technology itself isn't the problem - AI isn't good or bad, it simply is. What's shifting is us. How we're choosing to navigate alongside these increasingly powerful partners.
We’re not just outsourcing tasks - we’re outsourcing decisions. Not just busywork, but the work of thinking itself. We're increasingly moving at machine rhythm instead of human rhythm, valuing machine logic over human wisdom, preferring output to understanding.
The machines aren't directly changing us. We're changing ourselves in response to them.
The Real Challenge
We've become brilliant at building tools that think (or at least appear to do so).
Every day, algorithms shape what we see, where we go, what we buy, what we believe. They're astonishingly good at it. But in all that optimization, we've stopped asking:
“What do I actually want?” Not what the algorithm thinks I want - what do I want?
AI moves fast. That's not the problem. The danger is when we stop choosing our destination.
This isn't a call to reject technology. These tools are extraordinary. But we must remember: Machines are great assistants (that’s actually one of the PIRATE guiding principles) - not leaders, not decision-makers. They serve us. We steer how.
The steering wheel isn't taken - it's handed over, quietly, one convenient choice at a time.
Why We Still Watch Humans Play Chess
Recently, I watched Magnus Carlsen - arguably the best chess player in the world - in a tournament. He lost. It was intense, dramatic, human.
Millions watch humans play chess. Almost no one watches computers vs. computers - even though the machines are vastly superior.
Why?
It’s not failure that captivates us - it’s the friction. The visible weight of choice. The human drama of doubt, risk, resolve.
When AlphaZero plays, it's flawless. When humans play, it's alive.
That's a display of human agency.
Not just the ability to act - but the courage to choose under pressure. The beautiful friction where intention meets uncertainty.
What This Means for Builders
Writing this piece, I faced a choice: let AI write it, or write it myself.
I chose a hybrid approach. The ideas, the voice, the wrestling with meaning - that's mine. AI helped with flow and clarity. It made me more effective without making me less human.
If you're building companies right now, you're navigating this tension daily:
Which decisions do you want to steer?
Which can you let machines execute - safely, meaningfully, under your direction?
What kind of agency are you preserving in your products, your teams, your leadership?
These aren't abstract questions. They're product decisions, leadership decisions, culture choices, strategic bets.
They shape the moral architecture of the future.
The Future We Choose
As machines get better at optimization, we must get better at deciding what to optimize for.
As they get better at prediction, we must get better at holding intention.
As they scale faster, we must deepen our sense of meaning.
This isn't about competing with AI - that's a losing game.
It's about remembering what only we can do:
To care irrationally.
To choose the harder path because it’s right.
To build not just for efficiency, but for dignity.
To love inefficiently.
To create with no guarantee of success - only the promise that it matters.
The future isn't machine-dominated. It's shaped by what we refuse to hand over.
What We’ll Explore at PIRATE Night
PIRATE Night is for connecting, yes - but it’s also for challenging assumptions, sharing perspective, and learning in the open. We're gathering the founders, builders, investors, and humans asking deeper questions:
What companies are still worth building when AI can build almost anything?
Which choices are too important to automate?
Where do you want to maintain agency, and where are you happy to delegate to machines?
What does leadership look like when your team includes both people and machines?
If intelligence is abundant, what becomes truly scarce - and how do we protect it?
How do we teach the next generation to stay intentional when everything nudges them toward convenience?
Is your attention your own - or are you renting it out?
This isn't about being anti-AI. It’s about staying intentional. It’s about choosing what we keep, what we change, and what we protect.
Call for Contribution
We’re shaping the agenda for PIRATE Night right now - and like always, this is a co-creation.
If you’re wrestling with these questions, we want to hear from you. If you’ve felt the tension, the pressure, or the promise of working alongside AI - bring your story (the call for contribution is open).
We’re especially looking for:
Stories that aren’t told enough
Perspectives that deserve more light
Lessons learned in the friction, not just the success
Let’s keep it practical and hands-on. Let’s talk about what it means to lead, build, and stay awake in the machine age.
Let’s be the generation that didn’t sleepwalk into the machine age - but grabbed the wheel and chose our own direction.
The future isn't humans versus AI. It’s humans with AI - but only when we keep our hands on the wheel.
See you at PIRATE Night in August.
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Be kind
Manuel