After Things Podcast

The episode opens with Andrew Mayne discussing OpenAI's newly released plugins and the broader idea of ChatGPT becoming more like an app platform. He describes practical examples such as Wolfram Alpha, Instacart, OpenTable, and browsing, then spends much of the conversation demonstrating Code Interpreter inside ChatGPT by generating mazes, GIFs, sound files, Game of Life music, QR codes, and even a simple chess engine. He frames these tools as making computation and creation more accessible to ordinary users. The discussion then shifts to everyday uses of ChatGPT and related AI tools: drafting letters, brainstorming, choosing meals, and helping with domestic decisions. Bryce introduces Rewind.ai, which records computer activity for later recall, leading to a privacy-and-utility discussion about AI-powered memory, search, and personal assistants. The episode also covers authenticity concerns around generated content and signatures, misinformation and viral falsehoods, the Hyperion tree, a disputed goblin shark