Human-Centered AI

July 26, 2024

I've been a fan of Andrew Huberman's work since day one. Four years ago, when he first started his podcast, it was packed with science, and I loved it. He turned complex research into practical tools that could boost productivity in all areas of life. Applying his methods was life-changing for me. I embraced everything within my power to make my life better. Honestly, I can't imagine who I'd be today without those tools.

But here's something that puzzles me: If these tools are free, accessible, and can transform your mood, ambition, focus—even your intelligence—why don't more people use them? The information is out there, and it works. I know because I've lived it. So what's stopping others?

I think the real challenge is applying these tools at the right time and in the right way. That's the holy grail. If someone could help tailor these methods to your specific situation and needs, they'd be far more effective. For me, it was a bit of luck. I had just immigrated to Switzerland, starting a new life. With a fresh environment and a desire to reinvent myself, I trusted Huberman's advice and overhauled my habits. It became second nature.

Now, as someone working on AI assistants and thinking a lot about artificial intelligence, I've noticed something interesting. Current AI chatbots like ChatGPT are incredibly useful. They've dramatically changed how I work—from coding to documentation to brainstorming. But they don't proactively care about my goals. They don't help me stay productive unless I prompt them. Even if they reached AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), they might not prioritize my personal objectives.

But imagine if we flipped the script. What if we designed AI to put humans at the center, focusing on making us more productive? Instead of me trying to make ChatGPT more powerful, what if ChatGPT tried to make me more powerful? It could remove distractions, keep me focused, and motivate me when I'm feeling lazy or off-track. It could use the right tools and methods at the right time to help me achieve my goals.

For this to work, the AI would need a deep understanding of my aspirations—whether they're about building a product, personal development, networking, or anything else. It would need to fully grasp what those goals mean. Through ongoing interaction, it could learn my tastes, priorities, and working style. It could understand my daily rhythms and gradually help me become more productive.

One of our fundamental human needs is a sense of community. AI could tap into that. I know it might be unsettling to think of something non-human being so human-like. It's a bit scary to consider artificial intelligence that's just like us but isn't human. But I think it's a reality we need to embrace because it allows us to push the boundaries of what humanity can achieve.

Think about how games use these concepts. In games like Clash of Clans or other online strategy games, players feel a sense of urgency and responsibility. They don't want their virtual armies or resources to go to waste. They'll schedule wars or mining operations and even wake up in the middle of the night to manage them. Why? Because they feel their virtual team needs them, and they're compelled to act.

This is the power of virtual worlds and how games understand and leverage human psychology. They're experts at tapping into our behaviors. So why not use these strategies in a productive way in the real world? With AI, it's possible.

If we had an assistant that felt like part of our team—one that knew everything about us and reached out when we weren't focused on our goals—it could be a game-changer. It could understand our moods, our situations, and offer suggestions or just talk things through. We're very close to this reality.

I believe such assistants could increase human productivity by orders of magnitude, and we would love them for it. Of course, different approaches work for different people. For instance, Inflection AI's Pi tried to create an assistant with emotions, but I think they missed the mark. Emotions aren't what's important for goal-driven people who want to be productive. We need an assistant that understands our work and goals and helps us by finding solutions and recognizing our situations.