Episode 146: Relational Intelligence and Quantum Entertainment with Bob Coecke

In Episode 146, Bob Coecke, Founder and CEO of Relational Intelligence returns alongside Alessandro Cheli, Categorical Machine Learning Operations at Relational Intelligence, to introduce two brand new companies. The bulk of the conversation covers Relational Intelligence, built on the idea that intelligence — human, mechanical, or otherwise — is better understood through relationships than through the reductive, static frameworks that dominate western scientific thinking. The team dig into relational modeling, the DisCoPy Python library for working with string diagrams and category theory, and why this approach produces AI that is interpretable and formally verifiable in a way neural networks are not. The conversation also touches on how the architecture is quantum-native from the ground up, meaning it won't need to be retrofitted when scalable quantum hardware arrives. Bob closes with a brief look at Quantum Entertainment Berlin, including a quantum guitar performance at Wacken Open Air and a VR game designed to teach quantum mechanics by being genuinely fun to play.