AI & I

We’re building a mini-AI media and software empire at Every. Today on AI & I, Brandon Gell joins the show to turn the tables on me and act as podcast host to explore what we’re doing as a company, how we got here, and where we’re going.Brandon is Every’s first entrepreneur in residence, and he was the perfect person to host, because he’s one of the key reasons for our recent acceleration.Before joining Every, Brandon was the cofounder and CEO of Clyde, a startup that helped brands launch their own insurance and warranty programs, where he raised $50 million and led a team of 100 before selling it to global insurance tech company Cover Genius in early 2023.In this episode, he interviews me about how I learned to code in middle school, how I built and sold my first startup coming out of college, and how it all led to Every.We also talk about Brandon’s story. He joined Every just four months ago—and it feels like we’ve done the work of years since. We’ve launched two new AI products, an incredible amount of great writing, a new course, and more.We get into my candid thoughts on entrepreneurship in the AI age—including why you should ship fast, and how not to be misled by metrics like TAM; how AI startups can find valuable niches—and live demos of our apps Spiral and Sparkle; Brandon’s hard-earned lessons from running a insuretech business for seven years; the confusing realities of being an exited founder, and how we navigated through those times; what brought Brandon to Every—including the email he sent me before joining; and Every’s master plan and what we hope to build over the next few months and yearsThis is a must-watch for anyone interested in building a calm, profitable business empire in the age of AI. If you found this episode interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share! Want even more?Sign up for Every to unlock our ultimate guide to prompting ChatGPT. It’s usually only for paying subscribers, but you can get it here for free.To hear more from Dan Shipper:Subscribe to Every: https://every.to/subscribe Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/danshipper Links to resources mentioned in the episode:Brandon Gell: https://twitter.com/bran_don_gellThe piece Dan recently published about Every’s Master Plan: https://every.to/chain-of-thought/every-s-master-plan Dan’s piece about the unbundling of Excel, and why it serves as an important story in the age of AI: https://every.to/chain-of-thought/the-great-ai-unbundling Tomasz Tunguz, the VC who has also written about Excel: https://tomtunguz.com/ Every cofounder Nathan’s word processor, Lex: https://lex.page/ Spiral, the app that automates 80 percent of repetitive creative work: https://spiral.computer/ Sparkle, the app that automatically organizes your files: https://makeitsparkle.co/ 

Join Alex Wieckowski, a passionate advocate for reading and creator behind Alex & Books, as he explores how AI can enhance our reading experiences. He discusses cultivating a reading habit sparked by self-help classics and the pros and cons of physical versus digital books. Alex demonstrates using AI for book recommendations and quick summaries while deepening comprehension of complex texts like Siddhartha. He predicts a tech-driven future for reading, with innovations like Neuralink possibly transforming how we engage with books forever.

One of the most influential voices in tech explains how AI helps him write and invest.This episode is sponsored by Create. If you want to maximize your gains, both with your body and with ChatGPT, try creatinine gummies from Create. Place your order through this link to get a 30 percent discount: https://trycreate.co/products/creatine-monohydrate-gummies-270-count?discount=every24 Packy McCormick’s job is to find, articulate, and invest behind the next big idea.He writes Not Boring, a newsletter that analyzes technology and startups for 200,000 subscribers every week. He also invests in early stage companies through his fund Not Boring Capital and is an advisor at a16z crypto.I spent an hour with him to understand how he’s baked AI into the way he thinks, writes, and invests. We get into:- How he uses AI to understand dense concepts and refine his arguments- His thesis around vertically integrated businesses being the future of tech- How Packy uses Claude Projects to edit his newsletter- How he makes interactive graphics that represent concepts from his essays - The tools Packy uses to research, write, and edit Not Boring- When he thinks the next crypto bull run will take placeWe also use Projects to build an AI tool that grades Packy’s essays live on the show.This is a must-watch for writers, investors, and anyone trying to understand the cutting edge of technology.If you found this episode interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share! Want even more?Sign up for Every to unlock our ultimate guide to prompting ChatGPT here: https://every.ck.page/ultimate-guide-to-prompting-chatgpt. It’s usually only for paying subscribers, but you can get it here for free.To hear more from Dan Shipper:Subscribe to Every: https://every.to/subscribe Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/danshipper Timestamps:00:00:00 - Teaser00:01:24 - Introduction00:02:40 - Packy's thesis about the future of technology 00:07:42 - What Packy quick takes on your crypto portfolio 00:14:31 - Use LLMs to validate your understanding of complex concepts 00:18:26 - How Packy used Claude Projects to write an essay he published recently 00:24:00 - Packy's process to make interactive visual graphics for his essays 00:31:10 - How to use AI to be thorough in your research 00:35:04 - How Packy uses Claude to edit his writing 00:36:44 - The tools Packy uses to create his newsletter 00:44:12 - Using Claude Projects to make a tool that grades Packy's essaysLinks to resources mentioned in the episode:Packy McCormick: https://twitter.com/packyMPacky’s newsletter, Not Boring: https://www.notboring.co/ Packy’s fund, Not Boring Capital: https://www.notboring.co/p/introducing-not-boring-capital One of Packy’s first essays, about natively integrated companies: https://www.packym.com/natively-integrated-companies Anduril, the company Packy thinks is an example of a Techno-industrial: https://www.anduril.com/ Packy’s portfolio company that’s integration crypto into its product: https://v2.oncyber.io/ The interactive tool Packy made for a recent newsletter: https://goventvectorsum.replit.app/ for https://www.notboring.co/p/the-american-millennium Packy’s essay about America’s tolerance for risk: https://www.notboring.co/p/riskophilia Packy’s essays about Blackbird: https://www.notboring.co/p/blackbird

Nathaniel Whittemore, founder of Superintelligent and host of The AI Daily Brief, dives into the intricate dance of creating daily AI content. He shares his workflow secrets for producing two podcasts each day, highlighting the power of small efficiencies. Nathaniel discusses curating AI news, the practical wins for non-experts, and how AI tools can democratize creativity. He also provides insights on using LLMs for scripting and the challenges they pose in emulating personal voice. A must-listen for anyone wanting to harness AI effectively!

Dwarkesh Patel, a dynamic podcaster famous for interviewing influential figures in AI and geopolitics, shares his quest for knowledge. He dives into how he uses language models like Claude for enhanced learning and interview preparation. The conversation covers his innovative reading techniques, the importance of structured knowledge retention, and the role of AI in grasping complex topics. Dwarkesh also discusses the implications of AGI and the existential risks tied to technological advancements, making for a thought-provoking and insightful dialogue.

Join Steph Smith, host of the @a16z podcast and creator of Internet Pipes, as she dives into the evolving digital landscape shaped by AI. Discover how AI transforms creative processes, making it easier to translate abstract ideas into visually compelling art. Steph highlights quirky niche creators and discusses the importance of maintaining authenticity amidst tech advancements. Explore innovative AI tools that enhance creativity and even aid in scientific research. This lively conversation is a feast for anyone passionate about internet creation!

Dr. Bradley Love is building a tool that can predict the future.Dr. Bradley Love is transforming neuroscience research with AI.He's the creator of BrainGPT, a large language model that can predict the results of neuroscience studies—before they’re conducted. And it performs better than human experts.We spent 90 minutes exploring how AI is reshaping scientific research and our understanding of the brain.Bradley argues that as scientific knowledge grows exponentially, we need new tools to make sense of it all. BrainGPT isn't just summarizing existing research—it's predicting future discoveries.We get into:• How BrainGPT outperforms neuroscience professors• Why clean scientific explanations may be a thing of the past• The challenges of interpreting complex biological systems• How AI could change the way we approach scientific research• The limitations of our intuitive understanding of the brainThis is a must-watch for anyone interested in the future of science, AI, and how we understand the human mind.If you found this episode interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share! Want even more?Sign up for Every to unlock our ultimate guide to prompting ChatGPT here. It’s usually only for paying subscribers, but you can get it here for free.To hear more from Dan Shipper:• Subscribe to Every: https://every.to/subscribe • Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/danshipper Timestamps:00:00:00 - Teaser00:01:00 - Introduction  00:01:58 - The motivations behind building a LLM that can predict the future  00:11:14 - How studying the brain can solve the AI revolution’s energy problem  00:13:32 - Dr. Love and his team have developed a new way to prompt AI  00:18:27 - Dan’s take on how AI is changing science  00:22:54 - Why clean scientific explanations are a thing of the past  00:29:49 - How our understanding of explanations will evolve  00:37:31 - Why Dr. Love thinks the way we do scientific research is flawed  00:40:42 - Why humans are drawn to simple explanations  00:45:03 - How Dr. Love would rebuild the field of scienceLinks to resources mentioned in the episode:Dr. Bradley Love: https://bradlove.org/; https://twitter.com/ProfData BrainGPT: https://braingpt.org/ Thomas Nagel’s book on the philosophy of science that Dr. Love recommends: The View From Nowhere The essay that Thomas Nagel is famous for: What is it like to be a bat?   

Claire Vo, Chief Product Officer at LaunchDarkly and founder of ChatPRD, shares her journey of launching an AI-powered project management tool used by over 10,000 users. She reveals how she developed ChatPRD over a holiday weekend, leveraging AI to streamline product specification. Claire predicts a shift in product management roles towards 'proto-managers' focused on prototyping. She also discusses using AI to enhance productivity both at work and as a tech-savvy parent, making her a better PM overall.

An interview with best-selling sci-fi novelist Robin SloanOne of my favorite fiction writers, New York Times best-selling author Robin Sloan, just wrote the first novel I’ve seen that’s inspired by LLMs.The book is called Moonbound, and Robin originally wanted to write it with language models. He tried doing this in 2016 with a rudimentary model he built himself, and more recently with commercially available LLMs. Both times Robin found himself unsatisfied with the creative output generated by the models. AI couldn’t quite generate the fiction he was looking for—the kind that pushes the boundaries of literature.He did, however, find himself fascinated by the inner workings of LLMsRobin was particularly interested in how LLMs map language into math—the notion that each letter is represented by a unique series of numbers, allowing the model to understand human language in a computational way. He thinks LLMs are language personified, given its first heady dose of autonomy. Robin’s body of work reflects his deep understanding of technology, language, and storytelling. He’s the author of the novels Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore and Sourdough, and has also written for publications like the New York Times, the Atlantic, and MIT Technology Review. Before going full-time on fiction writing, he worked at Twitter and in traditional media institutions. In Moonbound, Robin puts LLMs into perspective as part of a broader human story. I sat down with Robin to unpack his fascination with LLMs, their nearly sentient nature, and what they reveal about language and our own selves. It was a wide-ranging discussion about technology, philosophy, ethics, and biology—and I came away more excited than ever about the possibilities that the future holds.This is a must-watch for science-fiction enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the deep philosophical questions raised by LLMs and the way they function. If you found this episode interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share! Want even more?Sign up for Every to unlock our ultimate guide to prompting ChatGPT. It’s usually only for paying subscribers, but you can get it here for free.To hear more from Dan Shipper:Subscribe to Every: https://every.to/subscribe Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/danshipper Links to resources mentioned in the episode:Robin Sloan: https://www.robinsloan.com/ Robin’s books: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, Sourdough, MoonboundDan’s first interview with Robin four years ago: https://every.to/superorganizers/tasting-notes-with-robin-sloan-25629085 Anthropic AI’s paper about how concepts are represented inside LLMs: https://www.anthropic.com/news/mapping-mind-language-model Dan’s interview with Notion engineer Linus Lee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeKEXnNP2yA Big Biology, the podcast that Robin enjoys listening to: https://www.bigbiology.org/ 

In this episode, bestselling author Steven Berlin Johnson, known for his influential works on innovation, dives into his role as editorial director for NotebookLM, Google Labs' research assistant. He discusses the amazing capabilities of NotebookLM, demonstrating how it can synthesize 200,000 words of NASA transcripts into clear narratives. Steven explores historical connections to the Apollo 1 fire while unpacking the tool's ability to recognize patterns in research. He emphasizes the exciting potential of AI in creative workflows, making it a must-listen for enthusiasts of technology and storytelling.