Intelligence Snacks 76 - Humanmaxxing

Pete and Andy welcome Skyler from Finite.Computer to discuss building agents that give people more room for human work: exercising judgment, developing taste, finding meaningful problems and connecting with others. Skyler introduces Finite.Computer, the company he is building with Paul Miller, and its hands-on agent camps for freedom-focused organisations. He describes his shift from design work to building AI products, and why taste still matters when software becomes cheap to create. Knowing what is good, explaining why and deciding whether something should exist remain skills worth practising.It then takes a philosophical turn into embodiment, faith, beauty and what gives work meaning. “Humanmaxing” becomes the organising idea: let computers handle the digital drudgery while people lean into the experiences and relationships that make them human. **Key Moments:** - [00:05] Welcome to Episode 76 with special guest Skyler. - [01:13] Introducing Finite.Computer: agents built toward sovereignty, paired with in-person training. - [03:44] Early agent camps, working with Paul Miller and turning the training into a product. - [06:04] Skyler’s move from client design work to experimenting with AI and building a company. - [07:58] Defining taste: knowing what is good or bad and being able to explain your reasons. - [10:55] Novelty, differentiation and why good taste also means understanding the context. - [13:33] Enterprise software and the economics that pushed products toward standardisation. - [18:55] Could an agent become a protective barrier between you and distracting interfaces? - [21:10] Pete introduces Ambulando: managing agents while you go out walking. - [24:03] Reviewing proposed changes through live visual prototypes and comments before implementation. - [26:00] Andy on computer use, personal preferences and turning repeatable work into code. - [29:27] Beyond the builder bubble: does everyone actually want to make their own software? - [31:30] Pete’s case for a more local software industry with accessible providers. - [33:16] Finite’s human approach: training, shared meals and helping people work through ideas. - [35:11] Turning an HRF presentation into a shared canvas where comments become agent-made edits. - [41:27] Real-world experience and community help people discover which problems need solving. - [43:09] Teaching design thinking and the five whys alongside agent skills. - [46:31] Skyler questions a picture of humanity centred entirely on intelligence. - [51:11] Cathedrals, beauty and building for something beyond immediate economic rewards. - [52:39] How everyday practices shape what people value and desire. - [57:48] Could AI help bring back the individuality and community of the old high street? - [59:50] Humanmaxing: freeing people from digital drudgery and leaning into human abilities. - [01:02:52] Why ownership matters when a business becomes software and agents. - [01:04:44] Open-weight models for everyday work and the pull of frontier capabilities. - [01:06:15] Andy makes the case for raising ambition alongside more capable models. - [01:09:53] Pete introduces Nostr Stack and using a shared identity across applications. - [01:11:42] Authentication, key management, backups and recovery remain difficult design problems. - [01:15:31] Where to find Finite.Computer and a preview of its shared organisational apps. **Projects and ideas mentioned:** Finite.Computer, agent camps, Human Rights Foundation, Paul Miller, Ambulando.io, Rick’s Artifacts, Nostr Stack, Tinfoil, open-weight models, the five whys, Bitcoin Bush Bash and *Desiring the Kingdom* by James K. A. Smith. **Find out more:** finite.computer, ambulando.io **Closing thought:** “Lean into your unique abilities as a human and let the computer do the computer work.” — Skyler