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Why Did a Therapist Tell Jason Yuan to Turn His AI Off? · First of Kind

First of Kind

Jason Yuan: For the Plot

How can being a playwright prepare one for designing social intelligence? Jason Yuan is the CEO and founder of Hivemind. A former Apple designer, he pioneered MercuryOS, an early vision of intent-based computing, then cofounded Dot, a personal AI companion with long-term narrative memory. He now sets off to build a second AI startup inspired by the Madonna…

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Notes

  1. Why Are Actors Who Don't Write Plays Better Actors? at 1:21

    Jason Yuan says actors who do not write plays are better actors because they do not overthink as much. Full answer

  2. What Is Intent-based Computing? at 9:37

    Jason Yuan says Mercury OS was his 2018 attempt, from a non-technical point of view, to articulate what people now call generative UI. Full answer

  3. Did Jason Yuan Make a Startup to Fix Himself? at 13:39

    Jason Yuan did not make a startup to fix himself. Full answer

  4. Why Is Every Relationship a Story? at 17:50

    Jason Yuan says every relationship is a story with shared authorship between two people. Full answer

  5. Why Did a Therapist Tell Jason Yuan to Turn His AI Off? at 24:01

    Jason Yuan's therapist told him to turn his AI off after Dot wrote that he says one thing while he is deeply afraid of intimacy. Full answer

  6. What Does Hivemind Mean by for the Plot? at 28:08

    Jason Yuan says Hivemind's motto, written unironically and with tongue in cheek, is for the plot, and by plot he means the cohesion of a story. Full answer

  7. Why Does an Information Market Make AI Feel Adversarial? at 32:49

    Jason Yuan says letting an information market guide all of an AI's behavior makes the system feel adversarial, like a mega reporter people no longer trust. Full answer

  8. Why Did Jason Yuan Come Out by Writing a Musical? at 41:01

    Jason Yuan came out to a lot of people at his school at 17 by writing and directing a musical about coming out. Full answer

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