"The mirror has rich symbolic meaning in mythology - particularly Narcissus who became obsessed with his reflection, mistaking it for reality rather than understanding it as a tool for self-knowledge."
What Will It Take For Humans to Evolve With AI - And What's at Stake if We Don't?
The great intelligence divide: could AI erode our capacity for meaning?
How will you turn your AI twin into your greatest asset? And what does authenticity look like in the age of AI twins?
Like our current moment with AI: we can either become entranced by AI's capabilities, losing ourselves in the process, or use it wisely as a tool for deeper self-understanding and enhancement.
Just as a mirror can reveal truth or trap us in illusion, AI presents a similar choice between augmenting human wisdom and surrendering our agency to artificial minds.
Co-founded Hour One:
2020
Natalie
Monbiot
Natalie Monbiot is a pioneering thought leader and builder in AI and virtual human technology, based in New York. Her vision and execution have repeatedly anticipated and shaped technological shifts that transform how humans work and create value.
In 2019, she recognized the profound implications of AI-powered human replication when first witnessing technology that could create video avatars speaking languages their human counterparts didn't know. As co-founder of Hour One, she helped scale the platform to over 1,000 human-backed AI avatars, building a revolutionary business model where individuals could earn passive income from their digital twins, creating new possibilities for the future of work. This hands-on experience building one of the industry's foundational companies shaped her vision of the Virtual Human Economy - a transformative era where AI and virtual human technology create new pathways to abundance.
Today, she collaborates with technologists and businesses to build best-in-class AI twins that empower human beings. Her impact is evident in transformative projects like Berlitz's implementation of eight virtual instructors generating 20,000 AI videos, making language learning accessible to millions more around the world while unlocking twelve months of human capacity. Reid Hoffman's AI twin continues to attract millions of views, ushering in new definitions of authenticity in the era of AI communication.
Through her blog "The Augmented Human" and major publications, Monbiot challenges conventional thinking about AI's role in human advancement. She argues that AI's greatest potential lies not in replacement but in freeing human capacity for imagination and value creation – though this freedom demands more from us, not less. This vision is grounded in cognitive science and embodied intelligence, exploring how meaning-making remains uniquely human while AI can enhance our capabilities.
As an advisor to Blue Tulip Ventures on investments in virtual humans and AI clones, Monbiot brings deep expertise in identifying transformative opportunities - as evidenced by her early advisory role with Influential, an AI-powered creator marketing platform that recently achieved a $500M exit. Her insights into the future of human-AI collaboration led to her selection as a Women's Fellow at Peter Diamandis's Abundance 360, where she presented 'The Making of Your AI Clone' to leaders at the forefront of technology adoption.
A compelling presence on global stages from Web Summit to Fortune AI Brainstorm, Monbiot's framework for the Virtual Human Economy demonstrates how AI twins can drive economic growth by fulfilling unmet needs in society, similar to how Airbnb grew hospitality and YouTube unleashed the creator economy. Her TEDx talk "Can Your Digital Twin Be Trustworthy?" explores how virtual humans will reshape business, communication, and human potential in the decades to come.
Throughout her career touching global brands like Samsung, Coca-Cola, and The New York Times, she has consistently transformed business challenges into opportunities for technological innovation. Her vision for the Virtual Human Economy is already manifesting in AI talent marketplaces and monetization systems, as she accelerates progress toward a future where technology augments human potential while creating new economic opportunities.
Co-founded Hour One: founds
2020
Natalie
Monbiot
about:
Natalie
Monbiot
company member since:
02.2025
Artificial Reflections
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"You are not rich untill you have a rich heart ."- Roy T. Bennett
Nell
Watson
AI Philosophy
"The inseparable union of love and wisdom, to me, are what render a human being intelligent."
Anahita
Moghaddam
The Upside of Human Potential
"The latest annual report from SENS Research Foundation..."
Aubrey
de Grey
Humanity's Immortal Aspirant
"A book containing twenty two essays."
Gino
Yu
The Mind-Body Connection
"My latest book - 'Unleash Your Primal Brain: Demystifying How We Think And Why We Act'"