AI-powered app helps readers make sense of classic texts
Margaret Atwood and John Banville are among the authors who have sold their voice and commentary to an app that aims to bring canonical texts to life with the latest technology .
Over the past year, two philosophy professors have appealed to prominent authors and public intellectuals with an unusual, perhaps heretical, proposal. They asked these thinkers if, for a small fee, they wouldn't mind transforming themselves into AI. chatbots.
John Kaag, one of the academics, is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is known for writing books, such as “Hiking with Nietzsche” and “American Philosophy: A Love Story,” which blend philosophy and memoir.
Clancy Martin, M. Kaag's partner in this venture is a professor at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and the author of 10 books, including "How Not to Kill Yourself," an unflinching memoir of his mental health struggles and 10 suicide attempts.
The two became friends 14 years ago, when Mr. Kaag was struck by an essay Mr. Martin had written for Harper's and the ' called. The two bonded over their disenchantment with the siled world of academia and their belief that philosophy can be useful to more people, if only they would study it.
Over time, Mr. Kaag, 44, and Mr. Martin, 57, also bonded over their personal struggles. Each has been married three times and each has faced death. (In 2020, Mr. Kaag suffered a full-blown cardiac arrest after a gym workout.)
How They Ended Up Cold Calling Writers renowned is another story.
In April 2023, Mr. Kaag received an email from John Dubuque, a businessman who became a patron of sorts.
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Margaret Atwood and John Banville are among the authors who have sold their voice and commentary to an app that aims to bring canonical texts to life with the latest technology .
Over the past year, two philosophy professors have appealed to prominent authors and public intellectuals with an unusual, perhaps heretical, proposal. They asked these thinkers if, for a small fee, they wouldn't mind transforming themselves into AI. chatbots.
John Kaag, one of the academics, is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is known for writing books, such as “Hiking with Nietzsche” and “American Philosophy: A Love Story,” which blend philosophy and memoir.
Clancy Martin, M. Kaag's partner in this venture is a professor at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and the author of 10 books, including "How Not to Kill Yourself," an unflinching memoir of his mental health struggles and 10 suicide attempts.
The two became friends 14 years ago, when Mr. Kaag was struck by an essay Mr. Martin had written for Harper's and the ' called. The two bonded over their disenchantment with the siled world of academia and their belief that philosophy can be useful to more people, if only they would study it.
Over time, Mr. Kaag, 44, and Mr. Martin, 57, also bonded over their personal struggles. Each has been married three times and each has faced death. (In 2020, Mr. Kaag suffered a full-blown cardiac arrest after a gym workout.)
How They Ended Up Cold Calling Writers renowned is another story.
In April 2023, Mr. Kaag received an email from John Dubuque, a businessman who became a patron of sorts.
We are having difficulty retrieving article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.< /p>
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode, please exit and log in to your Times account, or subscribe to the entire Times.
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