The Next Big Idea

THE FUTURE OF WRITING: A Conversation with Ethan Mollick and Steven Johnson


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What if, thanks to AI, you can now research and write a book two, three, or even four times faster? For authors and AI pioneers Steven Johnson (Editorial Director, NotebookLM and Google Labs) and Ethan Mollick (Wharton professor and creator of One Useful Thing), that's the new reality. In this episode, they crack open their personal toolkits to reveal the prompts and workflows they use to supercharge their creativity.

What you’ll learn:

  • How Steven used AI to write 40,000 words in 72 hours.
  • The specific AI tools Steven and Ethan rely on for researching and writing.
  • Whether AI will ever write better than humans.
  • How the very concept of a "book" may morph into an interactive, personalized experience that readers can query, customize, and even turn into a game.
  • Further listening:

    • BILL GATES: Superhuman AI May Be Closer Than You Think
    • SAL KHAN: How AI Will Revolutionize the Way We Learn
    • MARYANNE WOLF: Are We Forgetting How To Read?
    • STEVEN JOHNSON & DAVID CHALMERS: Artificial Intelligence Meets Virtual Worlds
    • ADAM BROTMAN & ANDY SACK: The AI Tsunami Is Already Here
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