No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups

RAG is the key for smarter productivity tools with Notion CEO Ivan Zhao

Feb 15, 2024

42:07

Snipd AI

Ivan Zhao, CEO of Notion, joins Sarah and Elad to talk about Notion's Q&A interface and calendar applications. They discuss the benefits of using RAG models for smarter retrieval and longer memory, and how Notion is leading the charge in SaaS bundling. They also touch on the importance of design, office culture, and the impact of AI in revolutionizing productivity tools.

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Quick takeaways

Notion has invested in AI to create productivity tools that provide instant access to information without the need for extensive searching through notes.

By utilizing RAG models, Notion aims to improve retrieval, increase memory capacity, and allow users to be less organized in their workflows.

Deep dives

Overview of Notion and its Goals

Notion is a productivity application that aims to provide users with one tool to accomplish various tasks, including personal note-taking, trip planning, and enterprise document management. The goal is to address the fragmentation in the market by offering a unified platform. Rather than providing separate solutions for different use cases, Notion focuses on providing building blocks that users can creatively utilize to customize their workflow.

Constant Evolution in Technology and Human Behavior

01:21

The Evolution of Software Bundling and Fragmentation

01:34

Reimagining Future Workspace with AI

00:57

Introduction

5min

Sleeper Categories in Drag and Embedding Space

21min

Evolution of Productivity Tools and Synergy in Building Superior Products

4min

Design in Notion: Centralized and Holistic Approach

4min

Office Culture, Aesthetics, and Different Models at Notion

2min

The Impact of AI on Notion and Productivity Tools

5min

Notion is a productivity app that has invested heavily in AI to create products that enable workers to access information instantly without having to search through their own countless notes. Today on No Priors, Sarah and Elad are joined by Ivan Zhao, the co-founder and CEO of Notion, to talk about Notions Q&A interface and calendar applications. They also get into how using RAG models means better retrieval, longer memory, and the user can be less organized and how Notion is leading the charge in this era of SaaS bundling products.

Show Notes:

(0:00) Introduction

(2:09) AI and Computing literacy

(5:39) Building the Notion AI team

(8:43) Notion as an application company

(12:09) Prioritizing AI investment

(14:53) The rapid evolution cycle of AI development

(17:46) Notion Q&A

(20:00) Workflow and AI for calendars

(22:43) Moving past the need for organization

(24:36) History of SaaS doesn’t repeat, it rhymes

(30:14) Design at Notion

(34:26) Notion office design

(36:52) How RAG will change the future

(38:30) Building our the software in the Notionscape

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