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PRESENTED BY KALSHI |
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Happy Tuesday, Future Party. Today, we dive into why there are plenty of books to read — but not enough AI to go around. Why does it feel like the 2010s all over again? (Complimentary.) |
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The New Book Club Is Reading With Strangers |
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Phones down, books up // Illustration by Kate Walker |
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A new crop of in-person book clubs is turning solitary reading into community-building retreats. |
Why It Hits: In general, reading as a recreational activity has declined significantly over the past decade — only 16% of Americans do so daily, according to the American Time Use Survey. Part of the reason for that is that people have forgotten how to carve out space for pleasure reading, especially as time spent commuting has dropped… so these retreats offer a curated itinerary and the social motivation to get lost in a book. |
Between The Pages: For centuries, humans gathered to read books together as “a prompt for social engagement and discussion,” says King’s College London English professor Abigail Williams. |
Now, several new retreats are recreating that experience, per Bloomberg. |
There’s Ease Retreats in Wales, Ladies Who Lit across Europe, Page Break in NY and CA, and Bad Bitch Book Club throughout the US. They offer various ways to get your reading done (whether it’s your own book or an assigned title): independently alongside others or by taking turns reading aloud. Retreats typically cost $1,000 to $2,000 for a long weekend, including themed meals, gift bags, and local transportation. They also host workshops, hikes, and discussions… but guests can opt out and keep reading if they prefer. Agendas are optional.
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Last Chapter: Like many analog activities, reading is making a comeback thanks to BookTok and virtual book clubs run by celebrities like Reese Witherspoon and Dua Lipa. Like those celebrity book-club founders, it’s overwhelmingly women who are driving the popularity of reading retreats. Bloomberg notes that this reflects the modern publishing industry — the workforce, authors, and even novel buyers are predominantly female. |
Next Novel: With independent bookstores making a comeback, expect some to lean into local book clubs as a way to grow their business. |
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There Isn’t Enough AI Compute To Go Around |
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Out of power // Illustration by Kate Walker |
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As AI usage grows exponentially, top tech firms are grappling with insufficient computing power to keep up with demand — leading to system outages even at companies like Anthropic. |
The Big Picture: AI compute — the output of data centers filled with microchips that power these systems — is turning out to be a finite resource that’s already running short. That could put a wrench in companies’ plans to remake themselves in the age of AI. |
Behind The Curtain: If you’re in line to get some compute for your AI, stay in line. |
The recent explosion in demand for compute is driven by the rise of autonomous AI “agents,” which can be programmed to complete complex tasks. These agents require far more resources than simply querying a chatbot. It’s not just companies using these agents — their customers are, too. That’s putting added pressure on firms to secure as much compute as possible… or build infrastructure more quickly. The compute crunch has led to project cuts to free up resources (goodbye, OpenAI’s Sora), metering supply to customers (Anthropic is in ration mode for Claude Code), and major price increases (rentals for Nvidia’s Blackwell chips have nearly doubled).
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Last Token: While companies are racing to build data centers to keep up, those projects take time — and a lot of money. And that’s not to mention growing pushback from communities, which argue they juice up electricity costs and strain water resources. |
No wonder so many companies are exploring data centers in space or underwater. But while those projects may solve future compute issues, those looking to get ahead in 2026 may need to update their plans. |
The Future: Due to the compute deficit, companies may start making increased allowances a key bargaining chip to win over talent. |
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DEEP DIVES |
Watch: Decoder sits down with Puck CEO Sarah Personette to discuss turning journalists into influencers… who also have an equity stake in the media company. Listen: Comedy Means Business chats with stand-up comedian, podcaster, and actor Pete Holmes about how talent gets discovered today. Explore: Tax Wrapped gives a breakdown of what percentage of your taxes goes towards things like war, healthcare, and fixing your roads.
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How often do you use AI tools? |
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50.6% of you voted On demand, whenever it’s convenient for me in yesterday’s poll: How do you typically prefer to watch TV shows or video content? |
“Watching a show when a network decides I should see it is so last century. It’s all about when I want to watch it.” |
“I stopped watching live TV about 10 years ago. Now it’s become a hotel room novelty.” |
“Streaming for all entertainment — movies, series, etc. BUT for news events like Artemis II splashdown, there’s nothing like LIVE 4K imagery, so much better than the 1960s black and white.” |
“Sports — rather watch in real time. News — a mix of on-demand and real time. Fictional content (movies, TV shows, etc.) — mostly on demand.” |
“I try to watch things as they air because otherwise people will spoil them, but sometimes I run late if there are two things on at the same time, or if I’m busy.” |
Let’s keep the conversation going. Join Poll Of The Day, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality. |
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Let us know how we are doing... |
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PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS |
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar. |
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