Generative Thinking

Hello, and happy Sunday! The Every team was at an off-site in the south of France for our quarterly Think Week, dreaming up new ideas and products to bring you in Q4 and beyond. In advance of OpenAI’s DevDay on October 1, we republished some of our best work about ChatGPT. Look out for Dan Shipper’s report from San Francisco next week. 

ICYMI: We created eight custom wallpapers based on Every’s art for iPhone or Android. Download them for free.—Kate Lee

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Knowledge base

"What Are AI Agents—And Who Profits From Them?" by Evan Armstrong/Napkin Math: Six months ago, Evan Armstrong wrote about how the race for AI supremacy got a new finish line: AI agents. These looping workflows could revolutionize how we interact with AI, but there's a catch: They don't really work—yet. Investors are pouring money into making agents, from model-first startups to workflow applications, a reality. Read this to understand the next big thing in AI and who's positioned to cash in on the billions at stake.

"The One-person Billion-dollar Company" by Evan Armstrong/Napkin Math: In early 2023, OpenAI's Sam Altman said that he thought we'd soon see one-person companies worth billions—all enabled by AI agents. We're not there yet, but the race is on to build the first AI-powered solo empire. Evan took Altman’s statement at face value in this piece from last February. Read this if you want to understand the future of work, why your job might be safe (for now), and how to position yourself for the AI gold rush. 

"GPT-4 Is a Reasoning Engine" by Dan Shipper/Chain of Thought: AI models aren't just knowledge databases—they're reasoning engines. But without the right information, even the smartest AI can confidently spout nonsense. In this piece from March 2023, Dan Shipper argues that the future of AI isn't just about better models, but about feeding them better data. Read this if you want to understand why your personal notes and bookmarks might become ever more valuable in an AI-powered world.

"GPT-4: A Copilot for the Mind" by Dan Shipper/Chain of Thought: Forget highlighters and Anki cards—the ultimate study buddy is here. In another piece from March 2023, Dan envisions a future where AI becomes your personal intellectual sidekick, recalling every idea you've ever encountered at the touch of a keyboard. Read this if you want to see how AI might solve the age-old problem of remembering what you read, and how it could supercharge your writing, decision-making, and intellectual growth.