In this episode, Nathan is joined by James Yu, Founder of Sudowrite, an AI writing tool.They discuss how James started Sudowrite after using GPT-3 for his own fiction writing, how Sudowrite is able to be a supportive writing partner, and Yu's experience developing its tech stack and working through the backlash he's received. f you're looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/cognitive

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SPONSORS: NetSuite | Omneky

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LINKS:
Sudowrite: https://www.sudowrite.com/

X:
@jamesyu (James)
@labenz (Nathan)
@eriktorenberg
@CogRev_Podcast

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00:00) - Episode Preview
(00:04:28)– How James started using GPT-3 for fiction writing in early beta
(00:06:24) – Working within the constraints of the small context window in early GPT models
(00:08:47) - Using few-shot learning to get good results from early GPT-3
(00:10:25) – Focusing messaging on being a supportive AI writing partner
(00:12:08) – Helping fiction writers feel less lonely through pseudo-conversations with AI
(00:16:01) - Sponsors: Netsuite | Omneky
(00:17:22) - Evolving from paragraph-level assistance to full story understanding
(00:20:19) - Building the product for centaurs: half Human, half AI
(00:21:50) - Trying to create an "IDE" for fiction writing to reduce repetitive work
(00:32:15) - Using multiple models together to "kitbash" the best outputs
(00:39:21) - Iterating on prompts over time to get a customized "garden"
(00:45:18) - Keeping temperature high for creative writing, but avoiding cliches
(00:54:21) - Separate paths for professional writers vs casual creators
(00:55:06) - The future of mass-customized and personalized media
(00:57:30) – The continued role of human-centric art and culture
(01:00:10) - The potential for automation to replace repetitive jobs
(01:07:48) - Yu’s experience launching an AI writing tool and the backlash he received
(01:16:24). - Advice for future AI product launches to avoid or minimize backlash
(01:17:17) - Sudowrite's funding and team
(01:18:25) - Focusing on delivering value to customers during controversy
(01:22:00) - Monetization challenges for AI startups and the role of churn
(01:28:44) - The idea of an "AI bundle" to reduce churn and customer acquisition costs
(01:42:06) - Recommendations for underrated AI apps - Claude, Pika, Midjourney

The Cognitive Revolution is brought to you by the Turpentine Media network.
Producer: Vivian Meng
Executive Producers: Amelia Salyers, and Erik Torenberg
Editor: Graham Bessellieu
For inquiries about guests or sponsoring the podcast, please email vivian@turpentine.co