Jeff and Seymour kick off 2024 with a discussion of the three phases of generative AI. Phase 1: The launch of ChatGPT in November, 2022. Phase 2: The rise and fall of AI wrapper companies during early- to mid-2023. Phase 3: The current emergence of AI Agents that can automatically chain together multiple steps that drastically change the kinds of p…

We re-examine the swirl of events at OpenAI in November, starting with the Nov 6th Dev Day in San Francisco. Then the tumultuous firing and re-hiring of CEO Sam Altman, President Greg Brockman, and related Board ups and downs. Links: History of OpenAI Board. Board as of Nov 1, 2023: Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Helen Toner, Tasha McCa…

Jeff and Seymour discuss interplay among sci-fi movies, speculative fiction, and 'real world AI' through the lens of Spike Jonze's 2013 movie Her. Also some conversation about the upcoming Humane Ai Pin. Links: Biden's Executive Order and related AP article quoting White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed on impact of Tom Cruise's recent Missio…

Seymour and Jeff discuss the recently announced updates from OpenAI, especially regarding image generation in GPT-4 and DALL-E 3. Our ranking of image generation AI's from best to worst: (1) Midjourney, (2) Google Search Generative Experience (SGE), and finally (3) DALL-E. Jeff closes by talking about the recent LLM workshop he conducted for junior…

We discuss the September 2023 AI Conf in San Francisco, Anthropic AI and Claude, and how to test LLMs with "Who Is Jeff Hwang?". Links: 2023 Google Pixel Launch Event news from The Verge. 2023 Facebook Connect on Metaverse, Quest VR hardware, and AI. Schedule of speakers and talks at AI Conf in SF, September 2023. Amazon invests $1.25B in Anthropic…

(Episode originally recorded September 21, 2023) Jeff and Seymour discuss the Microsoft September 2023 Surface hardware event which was mostly about AI, Llama-2 and open-source LLMs, and Elad Gil's 4 Waves of AI adoption. Links: Round-up of news from Microsoft September 21st event from The Verge. Info about Panos Panay's departure from MS and some …

Well, pals, it’s time to hang up our aprons! After four years, over 130 episodes, and countless kitchen adventures, Pod Appétit is signing off. But not before a grand finale. Join us for one last episode of cooking triumphs, and of course, disasters! Whether you’ve been with us since the halcyon days of the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen or are a new lis…

Nuts, fails, and a trip to Comic-Con! Don’t worry, there are yummy recipes as well. August 2023 Themes: Grab Some Nuts Day (8/3) Potato Day (8/19) National Sandwich Month Seasonal produce Today’s Menu: 6-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Crumble Squares from Oh She Glows For Dinner by Angela Liddon Blueberry pie (Mary's recipe) & Blueberry Pie…

This week’s guest is an accomplished home chef, a cooking competition extraordinaire, and… Meg’s mom! Mary has competed in the Pillsbury Bake-Off three times, won the grand prize at the National Beef Cook-Off, and placed in hundreds more recipe contests and cook-offs. _ Find Pod Appétit: Website: podappetitpodcast.com YouTube: youtube.com/@pod_appe…

Balls, nuts, and enough culinary innuendos to make even GBBO blush. July 2023 Themes: Independence Day (7/4) Chocolate Day (7/7) Seasonal produce Today’s Menu: Dark Chocolate Hemp Energy Bites by Minimalist Baker No-Bake Triple Berry Pie by Betty Crocker (visit the Pod Appétit Substack for Meg’s gelatin-free version) 7-Vegetable and “Cheese” Soup b…

(Episode originally recorded June 30, 2023) We're back! Summertime is slow; Stepfunction episodes will appear more regularly again in the fall. Topics: Jeff and Seymour discuss the launch of the Apple Vision Pro in early June. Databricks bought MosaicML in June and comparison with earlier Snowflake acquisition of Neeva in late May. Profile of the N…

Thicc pie, fancy beans on toast, and a crumble that would make America proud. July (and June) 2023 Themes: National Martini Day (6/19) Independence Day (7/4) Chocolate Day (7/7) National Macaroni and Cheese Day (7/14) Today’s Menu: Dirty Smoked Olive Martini by Meg Mezeske Cannellini Con Limon & Garlic by Ela Vegan Copycat Costco Peanut Butter Choc…

We chatted with Phil Shen, award-winning blogger and cookbook author. Phil is the co-creator of Behind the Food Carts, named the Best Culinary Travel Blog by Saveur magazine. Phil is also a co-author of Food Truck Road Trip: A Cookbook, with more than 100 recipes collected from the best street food vendors coast to coast. Instagram: @behindfoodcart…

Wily lobsters, mush that’s been cooked (aka food), and the return of yea-big cucumbers. June 2023 Themes: National Lobster Day (6/15) International Picnic Day (6/18) National Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Month Today’s Menu: For the Love of Cottage Cheese Salad by Amiel Stanek Fresh-caught lobster courtesy of New England Vegan Unagi Bowl by Meg Mezes…

Rhyming recipes, corn on corn, and basic mushrooms. May 2023 Themes: Star Wars Day (5/4) Cinco de Mayo (5/5) Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Seasonal Produce Roulette Today’s Menu: The Mandalorian Macarons by Binging with Babish Vegan Sweet and Sour Cauliflower by Get Set Vegan Elote Street Corn Salad by Meg Mezeske Chinese Scallion Oil Noodl…

Jeff and Seymour briefly discuss Google I/O which happened last week including the release of PaLM 2. Most of the episode is spent on the strategic and ecosystem implications of an internal Google strategy memo and the impact of open source. They also discuss AI Supply Chains in the context of a series of MIT blog posts from April. Finally, they dr…

Giant hashbrown deliciousness, buns that rise like Jesus, and killer baklava (not in a good way). April 2023 Themes: Passover (4/5) Easter (4/9) Eid al-Fitr (4/21) National Garlic Month National BLT Sandwich Month Today’s Menu: Vegan Cast Iron Potato Kugel by Jamie Geller Hot Cross Buns by Claire Saffitz Vegan Frittata by Make It Dairy Free Vegan C…

Jeff and Seymour look briefly at earnings and layoffs from 2023 Q1 for the Big 5 Tech giants which leads to further pessimism about Google BARD. This sparks a larger conversation about how best to organize internal research groups. Which extreme works best–Google or Apple? Links: The Information published a detailed article on April 27th about Appl…

We sat down with Anna Hezel, senior editor at Epicurious, to talk about her latest cookbook, Tin to Table: Fancy, Snacky Recipes for Tin-thusiasts and A-fish-ionados. Anna’s writing has appeared in publications like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appétit, GQ, Rolling Stone, Eater, and more. Tin to Table annahezel.com _ Find Pod Ap…

Jeff and Seymour mention a framework of 3 personas: (1) end-users; (2) technical builders like EPD teams, i.e., Engineering-Product-Design; and (3) business leaders. Topics discussed: End-user experience: what it's like to use the free and paid versions of ChatGPT, compared with other LLM user experiences like Google's Bard, Microsoft's Bing Chat, …

BLTs made for vegetarians, lolx bagels, and cozy AF potato salad. April 2023 Themes: Passover (4/5) Easter (4/9) Eid al-Fitr (4/21) National Garlic Month National BLT Sandwich Month Today’s Menu: Vegan BLT with Baked Tempeh Bacon by Vegan Huggs BLT with Rice Paper Bacon by Thee Burger Dude Strawberry Goji Compote from Whole Food Cooking Every Day b…

Jeff and Seymour mention audio generation technology which leads to a larger conversation about how we can tell if audio, text, images, and other media is a Deepfake. They end with questions about media gatekeepers, social polarization, and how do we know what's real? Links: Vim is Jeff's favorite text editor and 10 reasons you should learn it. And…

The news that Gordon Moore passed away broke last Friday just as we were recording the previous episode. Today, Jeff and Seymour discuss Moore's legacy, the past and future of Moore's Law, and how advancements in microchips have been the foundation of deep learning for more than a decade. Links: NY Times obituary for Gordon Moore and a remembrance …

Squishable tapioca pearls, PB&J vibes, and loopholes for making pancakes. March 2023 Themes: Holi (3/8) Pi Day (3/14) Cookbook Roulette Today’s Menu: Gluten-Free Banana Malpua by My Heart Beets Quinoa Kheer from Indian-ish by Priya Krishna Sabudana Khichdi from Tarkari: Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Dishes with Heart and Soul by Rohit Ghai Salted PB&…

Jeff and Seymour debate the significance of the generative AI revolution relative to the invention of the WIMP interface, the web, and even the Industrial and Agricultural Revolutions. Prometheus refers to the humans learning how to control fire; is gen AI bigger than that?! Articles referenced: Bill Gates "The Age of AI Has Begun" Thomas Friedman …

This bonus episode is a recording of our live r/food Reddit Talk from March 13, 2023, with special guest Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin aka “The Pieous.” Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin is a pie artist and author of Pies Are Awesome. Known as The Pieous on social media, Jessica creates viral pie art that has been featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Jessic…

Jeff and Seymour start with another major week of news, including GPT-4, Microsoft and Google adding generative AI to their office suites, and LLaMA breaking out into the wild and onto Raspbery Pi and smartphones. Simon Willison's 3-day history of LLaMA developments this past weekend. Potentially bigger news than the dramatic collapse of Silicon Va…

Grilled cheese without cheese, a dessert that went straight in the trash, and more March munchies. March 2023 Themes: Holi (3/8) Pi Day (3/14) Cookbook Roulette Today’s Menu: Dahi Toast with Cilantro Chutney from Indian-ish by Priya Krishna Vegan Oreo Tart with Berry Mousse by A Pinch of Zing Preserved Lemons by Chris Morocco Vegan Cornbread Bears …

Jeff and Seymour dig further into image generators like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion. What is the role of the visual artist as generative AI tools continue to evolve? How might it replicate the relationship between a great writer and a trusted magazine editor? Additional links: Adam Gopnik's piece on DALL-E 2 in a recent issue of The Ne…

Jeff and Seymour discuss the launch of a new marketing company using generative AI called Typeface. This leads to a conversation about copyright consent, compensation, and credit. We discuss how the history of photography, Napster, and Paul Cézanne's The Card Players might help us understand the future of image generators like DALL-E, Midjourney, a…

Jeff and Seymour use stories and analogies to explain the two main approaches to AI: Bottom-Up and Top-Down. The recent wave of AI success is mostly based on the bottom up path which includes machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning. Related links: The case of the construction worker with a nail in his boot Murray Shanahan's excellent D…

Welcome to the all-new Pod Appétit. Cue the makeover montage! In this episode, we make February-themed foods, including cakes for Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day, queso for The Big Game, and more. We also chat about the latest food media we’ve been consuming. Listen to find out what the rebooted Pod Appétit has in store—and join in next month’s themed …

Jeff and Seymour discuss the unexpected impact of ChatGPT and how Bing Chat may not be ready for prime time. Did OpenAI unintentionally open Pandora's Box because they were worried someone else would beat them to it? Plus some reassurances that Sydney is definitely not sentient or emotional. Kevin Roose's article in The New York Times and transcrip…

Jeff and Seymour kick off the podcast with an exploration of ChatGPT. What is it and how might it impact our careers and lives? They use ChatGPT and large language models (LLMs) as an entry point to the larger topic of generative AI. Questions and comments? Talk to us.Por Jeff Hwang and Seymour Duncker

Mexican Week redemption! For our Great British Bake Off potluck, we tried our hand at baking a couple of Mexican classics. Listen to hear all about Justine’s tres leches cake (or should we say “dos” leches cake?!) and Meg’s tres-colored conchas. Today’s Menu: The Great British Bake Off 2022 (UK Series 13, US Collection 10) Gluten-Free Tres Leches C…