James Wang’s “What You Need to Know About AI” Book Launch + Talk (Alameda)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Join technologist, investor, and writer James Wang at Books Inc. Alameda for a discussion about his new book: What You Need to Know About AI.

Want to actually understand AI from people who build and invest in it? Join us for a lively evening with James Wang, General Partner at Creative Ventures and author of What You Need to Know About AI, and Jason Laster, member of the technical staff at Amazon’s Autonomy AGI Lab and Co-founder of Replay.io.

They’ll demystify real-world AI (no jargon, no hype, no PhD required), share behind-the-scenes stories from the frontlines of tech, and answer your juiciest questions about how this stuff is reshaping work, creativity, and life.

What You Need to Know About AI
James will be in conversation with Jason Laster.
Thursday, November 20, 2025 | 6:30p
Books Inc., 1344 Park Street, Alameda
FREE – Reserve a Spot

What to expect:

• A fast-paced talk on how AI already runs more of your world than you think.
• Straight talk about what’s real, what’s not, and what’s next.
• Stories, insights, and maybe a little myth-busting.
• A chance to grab your signed copy, high-five James, and hang out with fellow curious humans.
• Snacks, drinks, and that classic indie-bookstore magic.

Why go:

Because you don’t need to be a coder to get AI. Because it’s happening now. And because Alameda bookstores + great conversation = great fun.

About the Book

What is AI, really—and how will we prepare for it?

Some say we should fear it. Others say worship it. But what’s real, what’s hype, and how will it actually impact our lives?

Whether you’re a total novice or simply want to round out your knowledge, this book is your one-stop crash course on AI. James Wang, former hedge fund investor at Bridgewater Associates, start-up entrepreneur, and now deep tech venture capitalist, cuts through the hype with clarity and insight. He explains both AI’s true superpowers and its hard limits.

By the end, you will understand how AI is already transforming our world—and what is still to come.

ABOUT JAMES WANG

James Wang is a technologist, investor, and writer with over a decade of experience in AI and deep tech. He is a general partner at Creative Ventures, an early-stage deep tech fund backing breakthroughs in AI, synthetic biology, and advanced materials since 2016. Previously, he was on the investment team at Bridgewater Associates and worked at Google’s “moonshot” innovation lab, X.

James has served as a board director at startups working in AI, healthcare, and robotics and co-founded Lioness as CTO. He is a regular guest lecturer at UC Berkeley on entrepreneurship and startup financing. James holds a Master’s in Computer Science from Georgia Tech and an MBA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, where he was a Jack Larson Fellow in Entrepreneurship.

His Substack, Weighty Thoughts, is read by thousands of technologists, investors, and policymakers around the world—offering clear, insightful analysis at the intersection of AI, innovation, and society.

 

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Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.