Hey, I'm Jeff.
Co-host of What the AI?! podcast. I write about AI, technology, and the choices we're making with both. Previously: Upstart (founding team), Google. Subscribe on Substack to get new posts by email.
Latest Posts
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Zone of Probable Impact
There is so much commentary and analysis about the field of AI these days. Perhaps too much. But I also feel that much of it is exaggerated and hyperbolic. You can generally break down analysts into one of four categories.
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Building as a Generalist
I shipped an iPhone app last month. It’s called Whose Turn — it does one simple thing: tracks who paid last when you and a friend take turns picking up the check. (It’s in the App Store here if you want to see it.)
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Stop Telling AI What You Want — Show It
Most advice about working with AI boils down to some version of “be specific about what you want.” Write a better prompt. Describe the output in detail. Give clear instructions. That’s fine — but I’ve found there’s a much more powerful move that most people skip entirely.
Show it what good looks like.
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Why I'm an AI Optimist
I spend most of my time these days reading, thinking, writing, and podcasting about AI. And I’m optimistic about where it’s headed — substantively optimistic. Not in the “everything will be fine, don’t worry” sense, but in the “history gives us strong reasons to believe this will be net positive” sense.
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Regulators Make Bad Product Designers
At long last EU regulators are going to do something about the horrific slate of cookie banners that have descended on the web due to poor EU regulations (that have done nothing to protect privacy, best I can tell).