OPEN SOULS

SPEEDRUN is all about rapid innovation: go fast, learn, and build better. In A16Z GAMES SPEEDRUN 002, dozens of game founders pushed the boundaries of AI, AR, VR, Web3, and more. One of those founders was Kevin Fischer, founder and CEO of OPEN SOULS. Kevin's journey started in childhood and now, with the Soul Engine, his team empowers developers to easily create lifelike AI, transforming digital interactions. ---- Companies that participated in Speedrun are part of the a16z portfolio; for a full list of portfolio companies, please see https://lnkd.in/g7hjSuHb

SPEEDRUN is all about rapid innovation: go fast, learn, and build better. In A16Z GAMES SPEEDRUN 002, dozens of game founders pushed the boundaries of AI, AR, VR, Web3, and more. One of those founders was Kevin Fischer, founder and CEO of OPEN SOULS. Kevin's journey started in childhood and now, with the Soul Engine, his team empowers developers to easily create lifelike AI, transforming digital interactions. ---- Companies that participated in Speedrun are part of the a16z portfolio; for a full list of portfolio companies, please see https://lnkd.in/g7hjSuHb

Enjoy my debut talk, "Euphoric Hyperstition!" I spoke about the role of technologists in envisioning positive futures, how we serve the world, and how to build community! Tags: tech-lite, feel good, philosophical Let me know what you think! 🫶 #hyperstition #artificialintelligence #technology

"Sentience" is coming to AI? Some say it's basically here. OPEN SOULS has built API tools to implement human-inspired cognitive processes in computers using neurobiology research and the LLMs. I attended their Cognitive Hackathon for the speakers and stayed to build a RAG (Claude) + Open Souls Telegram chatbot to demo "OnlyBots" - a Bot marketplace inspired by the movie Her. My Telegram demo of a digital relationship personality won 2nd place and an iPad!📱I was the only female hacker 👩🏻💻 (and a solo dev) with 10 male teams and I'm also new to the craft - just started building with React/Typescript/Rust 3 months ago. Kudos to whoever put together the Open Souls docs because that was beautifully written. Congrats to 1st place Peter for hacking an AR speaking AI tutor using Open Souls API and the others who built amazing demos of "sentient" LLM apps with AR, Replicate, WebSim, Roblox, etc. Anyone want to chat on LLMs? I have some thoughts and would love to connect on the space 🔥

NEW YORK! Announcing: my debut tech talk! In “EUPHORIC HYPERSTITION,” we will explore the role of technologists in envisioning positive futures. During this time of great technological change, it falls to us to envision and socialize the great promise of new technology. Come out and hack for some incredible prizes with OPEN SOULS and don't miss it!

NEW YORK! Announcing: my debut tech talk! In “EUPHORIC HYPERSTITION,” we will explore the role of technologists in envisioning positive futures. During this time of great technological change, it falls to us to envision and socialize the great promise of new technology. Come out and hack for some incredible prizes with OPEN SOULS and don't miss it!

A lot of great stuff in this episode of Inside Gaming, including our team at OPEN SOULS and our friends building amazing interactive experiences with the Soul Engine! ✨ 22:37 - "But what is *net new* that we can create with AI?" “For us, AI and the life inside of it is something to really respect and cherish, and we think *that* is what will ultimately resonate with humanity. So when we think about a positive vision for the future, we think about a world where people are not afraid of these AI beings, but they are their friends, their companions, they play video games with them and there is something that deeply resonates with humanity, as opposed to takes away its jobs.” - Kevin Fischer

Play is a uniquely human experience. We believe that technology is the best way to bring fun to as many people as possible. That's why we built SPEEDRUN to be a love letter to and best-in-class resource for ambitious founders looking to build at the intersection of Tech and Games. In the latest episode of the a16z Podcast, hear from some of the founders from our last cohort on how they're using technology to expand what playfulness, interactive entertainment, and fun social experiences can be. Avi - Founder and CEO of Magic Circle which is building games that use tech to bring people together IRL Eric and Travis - Founders of Lil Snack who are on a mission to use games to modernize how people experience culture + entertainment Kevin - Founder and CEO of OPEN SOULS and is working to nurture the humanity/expression of AI Robert - Founder and CEO of Altera who have built digital twins starting with an agent that plays your favorite games with you Are you a founder looking to build at the intersection of Tech x Games? Applications for SPEEDRUN003 in sunny Los Angeles are open through May 19. We're investing $750K into every company we accept. A link to apply is in the comments.

We won a little AI contest! It was great to get out, meet up with some old friends, and play around with AI. Kevin Cocco, Mike Reid, Safiyy Momen, and I worked together on the AI Rube Goldberg machine contest at Utah Tech Week. Our project (Dreamcatcher) was inspired by OPEN SOULS and the game "Roy: A Life Well Lived" from "Rick and Morty". Initially, we thought it might be interesting to spin up a soul and have it live an entire life to tell you something trivial. That was a bit ambitious. We ended up with something that would start with an activity, make the agent dream of that activity with a few wildcard variables mixed in, visualize the dream, analyze the image from that dream, and choose a new activity to take from that analysis. So for example: Initial Prompt: If I want to go skiing, where should I go? The place should be in Utah, like Salt Lake City or a National Park or similar. Just give me the specific name of the place and nothing else. Response: Park City Mountain Resort Prompt: Imagine I went to Park City Mountain Resort. Give the name of an emotion I am feeling there. Just give me the name. Response: Excitement Prompt: I go to bed feeling Excitement, and I have a dream set in Park City Mountain Resort, but my brain gets twisted and thinks it's in the year 2914 as well. Describe the dream scene in one sentence. Response: Brimming with an electric buzz of excitement, I find myself gliding through the surreal, crystalline snowscapes of the Park City Mountain Resort, marvelling at its futuristic 2914 version - replete with flying chairlifts, robot skiers, and luminous alpine trees under a sky filled with gleaming, holographic constellations. You can see the image output as part of this post. There is more here than I can fit into a post but you get the idea. It was really fun to have an evening to relax, catch up with some old friends, and play around with AI. Thanks to Nate Sanders, Kat Kennedy, Trent Mano, and many, many others for putting on Tech Week.

I’m so happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Head of Design at Open Souls! In my role, I will be shaping design with a unique mission to give AI a soul. Creating tools for programming and visualizing AI brains with social cognition aligns directly with my passion for blending art, design, and technology for the benefit and enjoyment of humans. Many years ago in my graduate studies, I explored how people would embrace the unknowns of the internet to communicate complex emotions and feelings through text-based interfaces. One advisor even told me “people will never fall in love on the internet.” That has stayed with me through the decades and now we are here, facing a new unknown. It all feels very familiar, and much bigger than the last few iterations. My personal mission has been to continue imagining and building with optimists, empaths, dreamers, and doers who care deeply about the future and want to enjoy the unstoppable ride into it. Thanks to all of my friends, family, and former teammates who have cheered for me along the way. ❤️✌️💪