The AI writing app fighting AI slop

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I think there's, like, a much more moderate middle ground future in a lot of what we're building that is not turn off all the technology or let's build a Dyson sphere around the Earth.

[laughs]

Um, and I think, I think that's where a lot of the technology will end up, and I think that's where it's most interesting.

AI can generate words, but can it help you figure out what you actually think? John Steinbeck is the founder of Marker, a new AI writing tool built around the creative process, not just a prompt box.

Now we're building features of, like, how do you make the getting your ideas into a developed format more efficient? What we hear from the people using it is they just feel, like, more supported and fulfilled when they're writing with Marker.

This week on the show, we talk about why Google Docs feels stuck in the past, the trade-offs of leaning on AI to write for you, and the big question for writers now, does AI make us better thinkers or just smoother producers of slop?

I'm Ellis Hamburger, founder of Meaning, a storytelling studio for tech companies.

And I'm Alex Heath, founder of sources.news, your home for scoops about the AI race.

Welcome to Access. [gentle music] John, welcome to the show. I feel like it's been a solid 15 years, which means I'm very old, and that makes me uncomfortable. Were you, were you back at Foursquare at the time?

I was. It's a real throwback, isn't it? Uh, I remember at the time you were at The Verge, uh, which is still the hottest publication out there aside from present company. Uh, but dude, you've, uh, I've been following your career very closely since then. [laughs]

Yeah, I've kind of been all over the industry since then. So much has changed, but it doesn't look like you've aged a day. I guess you have a little beard now, and now you have your own startup. Um, but for real, I miss Foursquare so much, man.

Mm. Ah.

Like, there is nothing like it. Like, what am I supposed to do? Like, I guess with, with my AI, I say, "Hey, when I ask you about recommendations, check Infatuation and Eater," but, like, Foursquare was always months ahead because the cool people were using it and rating new places, and it was literally the most trusted, uh, recommendations. I think Alex was a fan as well.

Oh, yeah. I was in New York when, when Foursquare was in its heyday. Covered the company, actually, uh, at Business Insider, and then at The Verge, I think a little bit. I remember the Swarm launch.

Dude, I had the exclusive on the Swarm launch, Alex.

Of course you did.

[laughs]

I have to say, like, I feel so sad that something like this doesn't exist right now. I feel like Foursquare took a little bit of my innocence