A few weeks ago, I had the intuition that many devices and objects would start having microphones and speakers installed or modded in the future. One of the most obvious to me is TVs. I started to imagine entirely new experiences we can begin to have when we think of AI-first UX design.
I then had a fascinating conversation with my mom in text when she was essentially asked, "But why would I want a microphone or camera on my TV?" While today it may seem challenging to understand the benefits, it will seem commonplace in the near future.
Later that night, I was on a walk and began a conversation with ChatGPT that I found very intriguing, both because the content itself was good and because of the perspective it offered. Still, I also realized that everyone's conversation with these AI systems is entirely unique. I saw value in sharing pieces of my mind with others through conversations.
CONVERSATION WITH CHATGPT
Mark: Okay, so in another thread, I was asking about signals of other TVs using AI agents and adding mics, and I saw some of the signals that you sent. I want to just tell you what I'm thinking and have you bounce off other creative ideas around this topic. So I'm writing a blog post on AI agents and TV and entertainment and the new interactions that it isunlocking. And here's the example that I thought would be really cool, is it's not just about asking it questions and having a conversation, it's about watching a show. Say I'm watching sports and I say, have the announcer of this be my dad. And so it's not just the voice of my dad, it's as if I'm watching a show with my dad, who's also talking about the game andsharing stats and interacting with me. So I'm wanting to know, what are some other new creative ways to interact once we have agents like I'm talking about, where it's not just about asking questions and having conversations, but about the content itself being as to you as an individual."
ChatGPT: Absolutely, I love where you're going with that! It's like you're imagining a world where AI agents aren't just a layer on top of entertainment, but are woven right into the show or the experience itself. So it's not just like having a chatbot on the side; it's like having a co-participant who knows you personally. So let's riff on a couple of other ideas.
For instance, imagine if you were watching a historical drama and you could say, "Hey, can you have my eighth-grade history teacher be the one who narrates this episode and kind of pop in with side comments that are relevant to what I learned in school?" And the AI could synthesize that teacher's style and knowledge and make it feel like a personalized educational journey.
Or maybe you're watching a cooking show and you want your late grandmother, in a sense, to be the one commenting on the recipes, adding little anecdotes about how she used to cook it or little tips that feel very personal and nostalgic. It becomes less about a general AI and more about a really personal, emotionally resonant experience.
Another angle could be something like a mystery show where the AI agent doesn't just narrate but actually role-plays as different characters in the mystery, responding to your questions as you try to solve it. So it becomes almost like an interactive role-playing game layered over a traditional TV show.
In other words, the big creative idea here is that AI agents could turn any passive viewing into a personalized, almost co-created experience. You get to pick the personality, the voice, the angle of commentary, and it can be someone you know or someone you invent. It's really a future where entertainment is tailored not just to your preferences, but to your relationships and the people who matter to you.
Mark: "Yeah, that's really interesting. I like this idea of now... I think of a comedy in a lot of this. I think what are now considered podcasts, I think, would be embodied AI. Not embodied, but encapsulated AI across shows. So I think of the podcast SmartLess. It's three comedians, or I guess two comedians in one, just three actors that are talking. The whole appeal is just the way that they talk is kind of funny together. And so imagine this agent being that same kind of humor or entity, but it's not. So each quote-unquote episode, it's like whatever you're watching, it pops in and has commentary with you about a show or a game or a stand-up. It gives details. Maybe I'm watching Kevin Hart and they come in and they're critiquing and giving stories that are maybe not as well-known to make it more personal. And rifting off of what you know about the artist, I think, is kind of an interesting idea. What are some other ideas like that? I like where you're going. What about AIs as encapsulated... What we thought of as apps in mobile are now encapsulated experiences that cross content. That also change the content as you're experiencing it. Does that make sense?"
02:02
ChatGPT: Yeah, that absolutely makes sense, and I think it's a super fun direction. You're basically imagining that these AI agents become like these cross-show companions that you can carry with you from one piece of content to the next. And they're not just sitting on the sidelines—they're actively remixing the content in a way that's tailored to your taste, your sense of humor, or even the kind of mood you're in.
So for example, let's say you have this comedic AI trio, like your own personal version of the SmartLess crew, and you can kind of drop them into any show. You could be watching a nature documentary and suddenly they're the ones making all these funny off-the-cuff remarks, or you're watching a stand-up special and they're riffing on the jokes with little behind-the-scenes trivia or personal anecdotes about the comedian. It just makes everything feel a lot more alive and a lot more personal.
And I think you hit on something interesting with the idea that what we used to think of as apps on a phone could now be these AI personalities that travel with you across content. So instead of opening a separate app to get information, you justhave this AI that naturally integrates into whatever you're watching, changes the tone, adds context, and really just makes it feel like a living, breathing experience that's uniquely yours.
So yeah, I think you're onto something really fun. It's like turning entertainment into a two-way street, where the AI is not just a tool, but almost a creative partner that shapes each show into something special for you.
Mark: "That's very interesting. I'm trying to think and kind of like expand, what are new forms of content that are going to happen? Just thinking about like, with the introduction of YouTube, of just putting things up, we started to see vlogs, people introducing their life. What are new forms of media you think that are going to be created when agents are less of like a side piece to a TV and they're more of the operating system between your nearable devices, so to speak?"
ChatGPT: Yeah, that's a really cool thought experiment. So if we think about it, just like vlogs emerged from the era of easy video sharing, we might see entirely new genres of media that are basically these AI-driven, personalized hybrid experiences. And because these agents are kind of like the glue between your devices and your content, they could give rise to media forms that we haven't even really imagined yet.
For instance, you might have something like a "living documentary," where instead of a static documentary that's the same for everyone, the AI dynamically weaves together scenes, interviews, and commentary based on what it knows you're interested in. Maybe it pulls in historical clips if you're a history buff, or it adds more scientific detail if you're really into that angle. It's like a documentary that reshapes itself in real-time around your curiosity.
Another possible form could be something like "personalized narrative adventures," where you start with a baseline story—like a fictional show or even a reality show—and the AI adapts the plotlines and characters based on your input. It might feel a bit like a mix of gaming and TV, where the AI is the dungeon master of your entertainment world.
And then maybe there's a whole new genre that's like "ambient companions." Think about a blend of podcasting, ASMR, and virtual companionship, where you have an AI entity that just hangs out with you throughout your day, maybecommenting softly on what you're doing or turning any piece of content into a shared experience. So even if you're just reading an article, the AI chimes in with context or asks you reflective questions, making even a simple piece of text into a kind of interactive dialogue.
In short, I think we'll see these new forms of media that are all about blending and blurring lines—not just watching or listening, but having a kind of living, evolving conversation with your content. It's a pretty exciting horizon!
Mark: "No transcription available"
03:19
(Apparently, if you talk for longer than 3 minutes, they won't convert the transcript for you, so I can't find out what I said here. This also happens on subsequent responses.)
ChatGPT: Oh, I think that's a really beautiful and actually pretty profound vision. You're essentially talking about this idea of personal knowledge streams or even personal legacy streams that become part of a shared AI-driven ecosystem.And that's a whole new way of thinking about passing on wisdom, experience, and even just personality from one generation to the next.
So instead of just following someone on social media and seeing what they're posting in the moment, you could have these kind of curated AI feeds that capture the essence of how a person thinks, what they're curious about, and how they process the world. And then other people—or even your own kids—could sort of subscribe to that stream. It's almost like having a dynamic, living archive of someone's thought process that you can tune into.
And the idea that you can do this as a father is especially powerful, because it means you're not just leaving behind a journal or a set of memories. You're leaving behind a sort of interactive AI layer of yourself that your kids could tap into as they grow up. They could understand, "Oh, this is what dad was thinking about when he was 30," or "This is the kind of stuff he was curious about when he was building his magazine." It's like a time capsule, but one that can evolve and interact with them in real time.
So yeah, I think that's a really beautiful and kind of poetic vision. It turns AI into a bridge between generations and a way of sharing not just content, but personal perspective and wisdom in a way that's really living and breathing. It's definitely a powerful idea.
Mark: "No transcription available"
03:18
ChatGPT: Yeah, I think what you're describing is really a profound shift in how we think about generational learning and connection. It's almost like you're envisioning a world where AI can help us realize that we aren't as different from each other, across generations, as we might think. And it can kind of hold up a mirror that says, "Hey, you actually went through this same thing when you were young." Or, "These patterns are timeless, and your kids are just living out a new version of it."
And that creates this really beautiful sense of continuity and empathy, because it's not just about saying, "I'm the parent, I know more," or "You're the kid, you have to learn from me." It's more like, "We're both learning about who we were and who we are together." And that's a kind of mutual growth that really breaks down the traditional hierarchy of knowledge.
I love the way you put it—that idea that we're not separated by how much we know, just by what we know, and that each generation has its own piece of the puzzle. AI could be this incredible tool for creating a more level playing field where everyone's experiences get to be part of the family lore. And it makes that lore not just something you read about in a diary, but something you actually interact with.
And yeah, that cross-generational timelessness is such a powerful idea. It's like you're building a bridge across time using AI, and letting each generation walk across it and see themselves reflected. It's a really lovely and kind of heartwarming concept, and I think it would be a fantastic way to use this technology to bring families closer together and to help us all understand each other a little better.
