Prompting Curiosity

I recently used Claude to write an entire website proposal in about an hour, and the entire process revealed some pretty stark differences between corporate and creator AI use cases. In this episode I explain why outsourcing the final product is a great choice when the goal is convention, and an absolute no-no when convention is the goal is your voice. Main Topics Covered OpenAI is retiring Custom GPTs on December 11th Boris Cherney's Thread on how he prompts Claude Sonnet 5.5 benchmarks and cost Using Claude to write an entire website proposal Corporate: convention is the goal Creator economy: voice is the goal You cannot and should not automate your voice Hope for AI in the corporate world How I used AI this week: Delilah learning Japanese with ChatGPT Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 11: WTF is a Custom GPT? Read OpenAI help article about migrating Custom GPTs to Plugins Read this episode's Curious Companion Subscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletter Submit a Question Visit the Website Feeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Intro and Episode Overview(00:01:01) - Update: Custom GPTs Retiring(00:02:49) - Boris Cherney on Prompting Claude Naturally(00:04:44) - Sonnet 4.5 Benchmarks and Cost Savings(00:05:19) - Writing a Corporate Proposal with Claude(00:07:13) - Corporate vs Creator AI Use Cases(00:08:42) - Speaking Gigs and Conference Blurbs(00:10:35) - How I Use AI This Week: Learning Japanese with ChatGPT(00:11:57) - Outro, Ratings, and Newsletter

In this episode I cover how AI access and permissions have changed since ChatGPT launched back in 2022, from zero connections and basically zero worry to the current YOLO approach of vibe coders and early adopters. I share what I currently give Claude access to, what my biggest concern is, and offer a read/write/act framework that you can use to decide what your AI should touch. Main Topics Covered How AI access sentiment has changed over 4 years2022: ChatGPT with zero connections2023: Bard connects to Gmail, Docs, Drive, MapsMCP and the "AI in my email" eraAgentic AI, Claude Code, and Claude CoworkWhat I currently give Claude access toPrompt injection: my biggest concernRead/write/act frameworkPrivacy, client data, and benefit vs. riskHow I used AI this week: Claude-Descript connector and pulling quotes from transcripts Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 51: WTF is MCPRead this episode's Curious CompanionSubscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletterSubmit a QuestionVisit the WebsiteFeeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Intro and Episode Overview(00:01:32) - Early AI Access: ChatGPT and Bard Origins (2022-2023)(00:04:16) - MCP and the Rise of Agentic AI (2024-2025)(00:06:23) - Claude Cowork and Mainstream Agentic Adoption(00:08:23) - Personal Evolution in Granting AI Access(00:10:15) - Prompt Injection Risks Explained(00:11:20) - A Framework: Read, Write, Act and Whose Data(00:13:38) - Privacy Concerns vs Personal Comfort(00:15:01) - Training Data Concerns(00:15:28) - Handling Clients' and Others' Data(00:17:08) - Healthcare, Therapy, and Sensitive Data Gray Areas(00:18:34) - Benefit vs Risk: The Big Picture on AI Access(00:20:26) - Final Thoughts on What Your AI Should Access(00:20:58) - How I Used AI This Week: Claude and Descript(00:23:10) - Outro and Sign Off

Is AI actually going to kill us all?There's been a ton of talk about this topic in the media lately, and so I'm dedicating an episode to sharing my thoughts. Spoiler alert, no, I don’t think that AI is going to kill us, but that doesn’t mean that this technology has no risk. I walk through the Jacob Coxon resignation thread and the fact that Anthropic's own alignment team admits there's genuine risk, then get into why the doom talk feels more irresponsible than credible. I don't think regulation is coming to save us anytime soon, but to me, the answer isn't fear, it’s curiosity. Main Topics Covered Directly answering the question: Will AI kill us all? Jacob Coxon's resignation thread on X Evan Hubinger's tweets on AI risk Defining superintelligence and recursive self-improvement (RSI) Moving the goalposts from AGI to superintelligence AI's coding and hacking capabilities Jake Handy's prediction about a coming AI crisis Why the AI-doom talk feels irresponsible Regulation and data centers as oil Dario Amodei's blog post Change doesn't happen in a vacuum How I used AI this week: Replacing my Jeep’s thermostat housing Links & Resources for This Episode Read Jacob Coxon's resignation thread on X Listen to Ed Zitron's podcast episode about AI and regulation  Read Dario Amodei's blog post, "We Must Pace the Frontier"  Read this episode's Curious Companion Subscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletter Submit a Question Visit the Website Feeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Intro and today's topic: will AI kill us all?(00:03:29) - Background: Jacob Cox's resignation and Anthropic's Evan Hubinger(00:05:18) - Defining superintelligence and recursive self-improvement(00:07:19) - Why the doom claims seem overblown right now(00:10:39) - Hacking risks and predictions of a coming AI-caused crisis(00:12:15) - Irresponsible messaging and the case for transparency(00:13:24) - Government incentives, profit motives, and the China narrative(00:17:24) - Dario Amodei's regulation plan and skepticism about government action(00:19:10) - Staying a realist: humans, open source, and hope for the future(00:21:11) - How I Use AI This Week: the rattling thermostat story(00:23:17) - Closing thoughts and sign-off

In this episode I talk about the eleventy billion AI models that dropped in the past few weeks, including Anthropic's Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1, OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra, and Meta's new Muse agent. I get into former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon's resignation and his warning about AI risk, plus what it actually means that OpenAI just rated Astra "Critical" for cybersecurity capability. I also share why I think Meta Muse is a terrible idea and what all of these model drops say about the direction AI is heading. Main Topics Covered Jacob Coxon's resignation and AI regulation warningsAnthropic's Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1 updatesOpenAI's GPT-6 Astra releaseAstra's "Critical" cybersecurity capability ratingAGI throwback to Episode 7Meta Muse launch: everyone gets an agentMeta Muse access, pricing, and privacy detailsWhy Meta Muse is a terrible ideaHow I used AI this week: Gemini AI Overviews Links & Resources for This Episode Read Jacob's statements on X Listen to Ep. 7: What is AI? Subscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletterSubmit a QuestionVisit the WebsiteFeeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Intro and welcome(00:00:38) - Jacob Coxon's anthropic resignation statement(00:01:41) - Reflections on AI regulation and motives(00:04:56) - Recent model drops overview(00:06:14) - Anthropic's Fable and Mythos updates(00:07:25) - OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra and computer use capabilities(00:10:01) - Astra's critical cyber capability rating(00:11:27) - AGI claims and the race to super intelligence(00:13:46) - Meta's Muse agent launch and concerns(00:15:13) - Muse's privacy and data risks(00:16:44) - Who Meta Muse targets and risks to users(00:17:38) - Companies' true priorities: money over safety(00:18:23) - How I used AI this week: Gemini overviews(00:20:56) - Wrap up and outro

Inspired by a podcast episode my girlfriend recently listened to, I use this episode to tackle the question: “Is it cheating if you use AI”? Using the definition of cheating as a springboard, I break down why the school-and-sports framing most of us default when it comes to cheating, and why the topic warrants a more nuanced approach when considering AI. Along the way I discuss the role of the system at large, and round the episode out by diving into an equally exciting topic for me: how AI use affects trustworthiness. Main Topics Covered AI as holding up a mirrorDefining cheatingWhy the school/sports rulebook framing doesn't fit AIWhy AI is an easy punching bag right nowBreaking down disclosure, rules, and trustQuestions worth askingIs someone less trustworthy if they use AI?How I used AI this week: Reverse image search to find desk assembly instructions Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 3: Is ChatGPT Killing Creativity?Read this episode's Curious CompanionSubscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletterSubmit a QuestionVisit the WebsiteFeeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Prompting Curiosity: The AI Curious(00:00:38) - Is It Cheating If You Use AI in Your School?(00:02:39) - Is It Cheating to Use AI?(00:03:39) - Is It Cheating If You Use AI?(00:06:47) - I Don't Care If You Use AI(00:07:44) - Does AI Make You Cheat?(00:10:06) - Why Do We Care About AI Cheating?(00:10:59) - Is It Cheating if You Use AI?(00:14:40) - How I Used Claude for AI This Week(00:16:24) - Crowning the Curious: A Tech Podcast