←Back Subscribe
A Living Glossary · 2023 Q3 – 2026 Q2

The Lexicon

The working vocabulary of the future of now: hand-defined in The Less You Know, week over week, growing into a living index of what the field is actually talking about.

2,058Termshumanly defined
2,521Definitionsacross 81 editions
1,305Essay discussionsin A Closer Look
508In the Constellationthe map, live →
239 core terms · 100% authentic humanly chosen
Technologies 641Concepts 612Technical Terms 539Acronyms 257People & Works 9
✦ Open the Constellation, the Lexicon as a living map →

Core Vocabulary

Referenced in 3+ pieces
Keystone
AI

Artificial Intelligence

167× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
Quantum Computing

Theoretical foundations

34× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
CEO

Chief Executive Officer

26× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
DARPA

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency: the U.S. Department of Defense agency responsible for developing emerging technologies…

10× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
LLM

Large Language Model

18× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
MIT

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

23× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
3D

Three Dimensional

21× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
VC

Venture Capital

14× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
Cybersecurity

Sports technology

8× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
Digital Privacy

Data sovereignty

9× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
GPU

Graphics Processing Unit: the compute hardware into which displaced payroll is being converted across the 2026 layoff wave.…

14× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
VPN

Virtual Private Network

8× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
VR

Virtual Reality

15× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
BBC

British Broadcasting Corporation

6× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
CIA

Central Intelligence Agency

8× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
Consciousness Research

Electromagnetic fields and cellular membranes as seat of mind

8× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
Data Privacy

Mass surveillance implications

11× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
Environmental Impact

Technology costs

11× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
Generative AI

AI systems capable of creating content across various mediums

10× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
TPU

Tensor Processing Unit

6× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
TSMC

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company

7× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
AGI

Artificial General Intelligence

14× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
AI Development

Architecture optimization

30× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
AI Ethics

Implications of AI in surveillance and law enforcement

11× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
AMD

Advanced Micro Devices

6× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
Artificial Intelligence

Impact on industries and decision-making processes

74× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
BCI

Brain-Computer Interface

4× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
CPU

Central Processing Unit

5× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
Entropy

Measure of disorder; second law of thermodynamics states entropy always increases

6× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
EUV

Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography: the process at the heart of advanced chipmaking; the physical point where compute is actually…

4× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
FBI

Federal Bureau of Investigation

7× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
GPS

Global Positioning System: the signal a jammer in Iran was degrading, and that NASA science satellites turned out to be able to…

13× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
GPT

Generative Pre-trained Transformer

19× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
ICE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

6× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
IoT

Internet of Things

15× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
Machine Learning

AI systems that improve with experience

45× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
MCP

Multi-Computing Platform

4× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

6× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
SaaS

Software as a Service

5× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
Semiconductor

Material with electrical conductivity between a conductor and an insulator

6× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
AI Ethics and Development

Physical world integration

4× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
AI-Designed Computer Chips

Efficiency surpassing human-designed counterparts.

3× across the corpus · travels with 8
Keystone
AI-Powered Video Creation

Tools making video production more accessible to brands and content creators.

3× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
AIP

American Institute of Physics

4× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
AR

augmented reality

10× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
Brain-Computer Interfaces

Revolutionary medical applications and neural integration

8× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
ChatGPT

Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer

17× across the corpus · travels with 8
Headliner
Digital Preservation

Process of maintaining cultural artifacts in digital form

3× across the corpus · travels with 8

Technologies

Top 20 of 641
Deep Learning11× A subset of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks to analyze and learn from large amounts of data, enabling the AI system to make… Generative AI10× AI systems capable of creating content across various mediums Spatial Computing10× Technology that enables human-machine and machine-machine interactions in 3D space Brain-Computer Interfaces8× Revolutionary medical applications and neural integration Quantum Computers8× Computers that use quantum bits or qubits and can process a vast amount of data simultaneously, offering much faster computation for specific tasks… Autonomous Vehicles5× Waymo's advancements in self-driving technology Health Monitoring4× CGM optimization culture Immersive Technology4× Technologies that create a sense of presence and immersion, typically in virtual or augmented reality environments. Metaverse4× A virtual reality space where users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users in real time, often described as a collective… Semiconductor Manufacturing4× EUV-free 2nm chip production Surveillance Technology4× AI-powered monitoring systems Theoretical Physics4× Mathematical proofs of time travel possibilities AI Architecture3× Sparse model optimization AI Training Data3× Large-scale text digitization Drone Defense3× Stadium security systems Facial Recognition Systems3× Stadium crowd management and access control Lab-Grown Neurons3× Cultured brain cells capable of learning tasks like playing video games Planck's Principle3× Scientific truth advances not by convincing opponents but by outliving them. Referenced in W18. The attribution version: the wrong name stays on the… Post-Quantum Cryptography3× encryption schemes designed to resist attacks from sufficiently capable quantum computers. Quantum Cryptography3× Security system obsolescence threats
See all 641 Technologies terms →

Concepts

Top 20 of 612
Artificial Intelligence74× Impact on industries and decision-making processes AI Development30× Architecture optimization Privacy Concerns17× Data collection and sharing by tech companies AI Ethics11× Implications of AI in surveillance and law enforcement Data Privacy11× Mass surveillance implications Environmental Impact11× Technology costs Data Protection9× Personal information Digital Privacy9× Data sovereignty Ethical Considerations9× In every evolution, especially with AI, the interactive entertainment world has to tread carefully. Neuroscience9× New insights into neurological diseases like Parkinson's Consciousness Research8× Electromagnetic fields and cellular membranes as seat of mind Cybersecurity8× Sports technology National Security8× New approaches focusing on economic prosperity Cognitive Sovereignty7× the capacity of an individual to participate meaningfully in the shaping of their own mind rather than being a passive site on which shaping occurs. Scientific Breakthroughs7× Mathematical proof of time's directional nature Surveillance Capitalism7× Economic system extracting behavioral data for profit Cognitive Science6× Impact of writing methods on brain function Digital Security6× Massive exploit campaigns Manufacturing6× Efforts to revitalize industrial production Public Safety6× Drone threat mitigation
See all 612 Concepts terms →

Technical Terms

Top 20 of 539
Machine Learning45× AI systems that improve with experience Quantum Computing34× Theoretical foundations Pattern Recognition22× Information processing systems Neural Networks21× Computing systems inspired by biological neural networks in animal brains. Paradigm Shift15× Fundamental change in how systems operate or are understood Neural Network14× Brain-inspired computing systems Complex Systems13× Systems with emergent properties from component interactions Venture Capital11× A form of private equity financing provided by firms or funds to startups and small companies believed to have long-term growth potential. Quantum mechanics10× A branch of physics that describes the behavior of matter and energy at the smallest scales, often defying classical physics principles. Facial Recognition9× Biometric software identifying individuals from facial features Consciousness8× Subjective experience of awareness Information Theory8× Mathematical study of information quantification and transmission Data Center7× Centralized location for computing and networking equipment Three-Body Problem7× Chaotic system dynamics involving three interacting bodies Blockchain Technology6× Decentralized ledger system underpinning cryptocurrencies Cognitive Load6× The mental effort required to process information and perform tasks, which can impact cognitive performance and decision-making. Digital Sovereignty6× National control over digital infrastructure and data Digital Twin6× Virtual system replica Encryption6× Data protection Entropy6× Measure of disorder; second law of thermodynamics states entropy always increases
See all 539 Technical Terms terms →

Acronyms

Top 20 of 257
AI167× Artificial Intelligence CEO26× Chief Executive Officer MIT23× Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenAI23× Open Artificial Intelligence (research organization) 3D21× Three Dimensional GPT19× Generative Pre-trained Transformer LLM18× Large Language Model ChatGPT17× Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer IoT15× Internet of Things VR15× Virtual Reality AGI14× Artificial General Intelligence GPU14× Graphics Processing Unit: the compute hardware into which displaced payroll is being converted across the 2026 layoff wave. "Mathematical intuition… VC14× Venture Capital GPS13× Global Positioning System: the signal a jammer in Iran was degrading, and that NASA science satellites turned out to be able to locate from orbit.… DNA12× Deoxyribonucleic Acid EMP12× Electromagnetic Pulse. AR10× augmented reality DARPA10× Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency: the U.S. Department of Defense agency responsible for developing emerging technologies for national… R&D10× Research and Development IBM9× International Business Machines
See all 257 Acronyms terms →

People & Works

Top 9 of 9
Michael Pollan3× author arguing boredom is a precondition for consciousness. Thomas Nagel3× philosopher whose "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" (1974) framed the consciousness question the opening quote adapts. Charles Taylor2× Philosopher, author of Sources of the Self; cited on the historicity of the inward self. Nikolai Brusentsov2× builder of the Setun ternary computer, Moscow State University, 1958. Plotinus2× third-century philosopher whose concept of emanation is invoked in the Closer Look. Frank Lantz designer of Universal Paperclips (2017), the clicker game that became an alignment teaching tool. Frank Rosenblatt inventor of the Perceptron, 1958. McCulloch & Pitts authors of the 1943 paper that founded computational neuroscience. Nate Soares president of MIRI, interviewed this week.

From the Lab

The Lexicon is the data layer. The Constellation is now live: browse the vocabulary as a map of what's talked about together across newsletters and essays. Next on the bench, both powered by the same data: Ask the Archive (question three years of writing), and the Zeitgeist Tracker (what mattered when, across 12 quarters).