OpenAI's New Developments and the Ultimate Life Hack

Hello, and happy Sunday! Q4 started off with a flurry of activity and anticipation—Dan Shipper flew from Paris to San Francisco to report from OpenAI’s second-annual DevDay, while Evan Armstrong stands at the precipice of fatherhood. Read on for more details and our take on the latest tech news.—Kate Lee

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Knowledge base

"Everything OpenAI Launched at DevDay" by Dan Shipper/Chain of Thought: OpenAI hosted a DevDay with two big accomplishments. First, the company invited Dan (a wise choice), and then it released some cool products that allow founders to easily integrate voice modes into their own products. They open up some intriguing possibilities for apps that are suddenly now possible. Read this to see what new startups could be built. 

“OpenAI's Canvas: The AI-Powered Word Processor You Didn't Know You Needed" by Dan Shipper and Evan Armstrong/Chain of Thought: If you take a smallish amount of LSD, squint, and turn your head 42 degrees to the right, you can see how OpenAI’s newest product lays the groundwork for a computing revolution. It’s a little bit like if an LLM and a word processor got frisky. More than that, it's OpenAI's shot at becoming the operating system for the AI age. Read this if you want to see what the future of work might look like.

"A Day at the Center of the AI Boom" by Dan Shipper/Chain of Thought: Dan takes us on a whirlwind tour of San Francisco during a hackathon last year, capturing the city's unique blend of innovation, contradiction, and relentless optimism. This essay paints a vivid picture of a place living in the future, from naked encounters in saunas to AI discussions over sushi. Read this if you want to experience the fever dream of tech's capital without leaving your chair.

"You're Probably Using AI Wrong" by Rhea Purohit/Learning Curve: Forget efficiency—it's time to use AI for meaning. Rhea Purohit struggled to integrate AI into her writing until she realized she was asking the wrong questions. Instead of outsourcing her work, she now uses AI to enhance the parts of her process she loves. Read this for a fresh perspective on AI and practical steps to identify what brings you meaning in your work and life. Bonus: Learn how to have a meaningful conversation with an AI about your own workflow.

"Dad Mode" by Evan Armstrong/Napkin Math: Want to level up your life faster than any self-help book could dream of? Have a kid. Evan's impending fatherhood kicked him into "dad mode," transforming his approach to career, health, and relationships. Read this for a look at how the prospect of a tiny human can be the ultimate motivator for personal growth.