In this debut episode, I speak with James Yu, who is a writer, technologist and artist, based in San Francisco. James is the co-founder of Sudowrite, the AI assistant for creative writers, and he also makes art that explores how technology mediates our everyday experience. The conversation largely explores fiction through the lens of technology. 

We cover topics such as: fiction's relationship with AI, the tension between craft and technology, how writers can adopt and leverage new tools and how society's need for fiction has changed over the years.  

Say hi to James on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jamesjyu

Say hi to James on Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamesyu

Say hi to Dhru on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dhrupadkarwa

Say hi to Dhru on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dkarwa

Show notes:



0:00 - Introduction

1:55 - What fiction means to James

3:23 - On engineering and writing  

6:53 - AI and creative tools

14:02 - Tension between craft and technology

16:15 - Robin Sloan on 'stock and flow'

18:28 - Poisonous ideal of log cabin writers

19:50 - Kazuo Ishiguro on social media

22:55 - Books written by AIs

29:33 - Human++ and Digital Muses

30:40 - Relationships with books and authors

32:05 - Combinatorial creativity

38:35 - The ego

44:39 - Society's need for fiction

52:20 - How novels serve us

54:50 - Future of storytelling

58:53 - On Ted Chiang and T.C. Boyle

1:02:55 - Future of Fiction  



Links:



Sudowrite: www.sudowrite.com

Robin Sloan on 'stock and flow': www.snarkmarket.com/2010/4890

Kazuo Ishiguro on social media: www.wordfest.com/2021/watch/kazuo-ishiguro-on-social-media

Ted Chiang's short stories: www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/ted-chiangs-soulful-science-fiction

T.C. Boyle: www.tcboyle.com

Lit Visions: www.litvisions.substack.com

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