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I have spent the last decade building AI systems that are meant to enable new forms of storytelling. In recent years I have been making tools to help designers shape these kinds of experiences without writing code. And increasingly I am interested in applications that will make the world an easier place.
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As of 2024, I am Cofounder and Head of AI at mPath AI, a new venture that aims to democratize coaching for young people by offering an AI-scaled human system that is always available to encourage and empower.
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Previously I was Narrative Systems Lead at Hexagram, where I built systems combining LLMs with symbolic AI in the entertainment domain. Before that, I was Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Carleton College, the perennial #1 school in undergraduate teaching in the US. My first industry job was as Principal Investigator at the storied research firm BBN, where I led an effort to combat email scammers with conversational AI.
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I earned a PhD in Computational Media from UC Santa Cruz in 2018. My thesis, Curating Simulated Storyworlds, is about detecting stories that emerge in complex systems like computer simulations. I have also carried out research in conversational AI, discovery tools, and the history of computational media. My 50+ academic publications are all available here.
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Past projects include: Bad News, a work of AI-assisted immersive theater that won the IndieCade 2016 Audience Choice Award; Sheldon County, a proof-of-concept AI-generated podcast that was featured on BBC Radio; and Sienna, a chatbot that engages email scammers to waste their time. My work has been written up in The Guardian, The Verge, The Register, Vice, New Scientist, and Rolling Stone.
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I’m also the proprietor of Aleator Press, an indie press and art dealer specializing in computer-generated literature and early generative art. Our highlight release is Wendit Tnce Inf, a letterpress book of computer-generated prose poems by Allison Parrish. As a dealer, we have handled early pieces by artists such as Harold Cohen.
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I live in Minneapolis with my wife, Nina, and our kids, Vivian and Ira.
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I’m not so easy to reach these days, but feel free to send an email.
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