AI 2025 → 2026 Live Show | Part 1
This year-end live show features nine rapid-fire conversations to make sense of AI’s 2025 and what might define 2026. PSA for AI builders: Interested in alignment, governance, or AI safety? Learn more about the MATS Summer 2026 Fellowship and submit your name to be notified when applications open: https://matsprogram.org/s26-tcr. Zvi Moshowitz maps the OpenAI–Anthropic–Google race, the denialism gap, and why his PDoom is still ~60–70%. Greg (ARC-AGI Prize), Eugenia Kuyda, Ali Behrouz, Logan Kirkpatrick, and Jungwon Hwang cover sample-efficient benchmarks and ARC-AGI 3, companions and human-flourishing metrics, continual-learning memory, Gemini 3 Flash for developers, and AI for scientific decisions.
Sponsors:
Gemini 3 in Google AI Studio:
Gemini 3 in Google AI Studio lets you build fully functional apps from a simple description—no coding required. Start vibe coding your idea today at https://ai.studio/build
MATS:
MATS is a fully funded 12-week research program pairing rising talent with top mentors in AI alignment, interpretability, security, and governance. Apply for the next cohort at https://matsprogram.org/s26-tcr
Framer:
Framer is the all-in-one tool to design, iterate, and publish stunning websites with powerful AI features. Start creating for free and use code COGNITIVE to get one free month of Framer Pro at https://framer.com/design
Shopify:
Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at https://shopify.com/cognitive
Tasklet:
Tasklet is an AI agent that automates your work 24/7; just describe what you want in plain English and it gets the job done. Try it for free and use code COGREV for 50% off your first month at https://tasklet.ai
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) Sponsor: Gemini 3 in Google AI Studio
(00:31) Live show experiment
(02:26) Zvi: discourse and denial
(13:28) Continual learning and doom
(22:05) ArcAGI: what's missing (Part 1)
(22:09) Sponsors: MATS | Framer
(25:28) ArcAGI: what's missing (Part 2)
(31:58) Scaffolds and tiny models
(38:58) ArcAGI 3 game worlds
(45:13) AI companions landscape (Part 1)
(45:21) Sponsors: Shopify | Tasklet
(48:29) AI companions landscape (Part 2)
(58:14) Wabi apps and caution
(01:08:16) Nested learning, layered memory
(01:23:14) Gemini 3 Flash launch
(01:34:09) RAG, agents, dev advice
(01:42:20) Elicit speeds evidence synthesis
(01:57:57) Outro
PRODUCED BY:
https://aipodcast.ing
Seeing The Future from AI Companions to Personal Software
Eugenia Kuyda, CEO of Wabi and AI pioneer behind Replika, joins Erik, Anish, and Justine to reveal how personal software will transform from a developer monopoly to a creative medium for all. She exposes why command-line AI interfaces are the new MS-DOS, explains how mini-apps will become as shareable as TikToks, and details her decade-long journey from training language models in 2012 to building the platform where your mom can create custom apps in minutes. Plus: untold stories from OpenAI's apartment days and why voice-only devices completely miss the point.
Resources:
Follow Eugenia on X: https://x.com/ekuyda
Follow Anish on X: https://x.com/illscience
Stay Updated:
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends!
Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z
Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z
Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX
Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711
Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg
Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
Stay Updated:
Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube
Find a16z on X
Find a16z on LinkedIn
Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify
Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts
Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg
Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Can AI companions help heal loneliness? | Eugenia Kuyda
AI companions could either be the cure to our loneliness epidemic … or humanity's final downfall, says Eugenia Kuyda, creator of Replika — an app that allows you to create AI friends. She explores the potential of this technology to either exacerbate isolation or encourage connection, advocating for an AI whose success is driven not by clicks and screen time but by human happiness and flourishing.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
To Love An AI Bot — With Eugenia Kuyda
Eugenia Kuyda is the founder and CEO of Replika, an AI companion app where people befriend — and sometimes fall in love with — AI bots. Kuyda joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss the nature of these relationships, and what they say about our society. In this conversation, Kuyda reveals Replika's ambition for its "phase two," a plan to have AI friends join us in the real world, helping us keep in touch with friends, get off social media, or even watch movies together. Tune in for a fascinating look at the future of human + AI relationships.
---
Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice.
For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/
Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology
Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Replika CEO Eugenia Kuyda says it’s okay if we end up marrying AI chatbots
Today, I’m talking with Replika founder and CEO Eugenia Kuyda, and I will just tell you right away, we get all the way to people marrying their AI companions, so get ready. It’s a ride.
Replika’s basic pitch is pretty simple: what if you had an AI friend? The company offers avatars you can curate to your liking that pretend to be human, so they can be your friend, your therapist, or even your date. That’s a lot for a private company running an iPhone app, and Eugenia and I talked a lot about the consequences of this idea and what it means for the future of human relationships.
Links:
The AI boyfriend business is booming | Axios
Speak, Memory | The Verge
Your new AI Friend is almost ready to meet you | Verge
What happens when sexting chatbots dump their human lovers | Bloomberg
AI chatbot company Replika restores erotic roleplay for some users — Reuters
Replika’s New AI App Is Like Tinder but With Sexy Chatbots — Gizmodo
Replika’s new AI therapy app tries to bring you to a zen island — The Verge
Replika CEO: AI chatbots aren’t just for lonely men | Fortune
Gaze Into the Dystopian Hell of Bots Dating Bots | Slate
Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23980789
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
AI Friends, Real Relationships with Eugenia Kuyda, Replika's Founder & CEO
Note: This conversation contains themes of suicidal ideation, in the context of academic research. Please watch from (21:41) onwards if you would like to skip past this content.
In this conversation, Nathan sits down with Eugenia Kuyda, Replika's Founder and CEO. They discuss recent research published in Nature conducted by Stanford on Replika user interactions, how Replika is providing their users with a relationship they can trust and confide in, what Eugenia has found surprising about the evolution of how people are interacting with their Replikas, and much more. Try the Brave search API for free for up to 2000 queries per month at https://brave.com/api
LINKS
Loneliness and suicide mitigation for students using GPT3-enabled chatbots: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44184-023-00047-6
Eugenia Kuyda Part 1 on The Cognitive Revolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFKA7T-v6WE
SPONSORS:
The Brave search API can be used to assemble a data set to train your AI models and help with retrieval augmentation at the time of inference. All while remaining affordable with developer first pricing, integrating the Brave search API into your workflow translates to more ethical data sourcing and more human representative data sets. Try the Brave search API for free for up to 2000 queries per month at https://brave.com/api
Omneky is an omnichannel creative generation platform that lets you launch hundreds of thousands of ad iterations that actually work customized across all platforms, with a click of a button. Omneky combines generative AI and real-time advertising data. Mention "Cog Rev" for 10% off www.omneky.com
NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ head to NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/cognitive and download your own customized KPI checklist.
X/Social:
@ekuyda (Eugenia)
@labenz (Nathan)
@CogRev_Podcast
Timestamps:
(00:00) Preview and summary
(06:41 The evolution of Replika
(08:11) Definining the main goal of Replika
(09:54) Nature published study by Stanford on Replika and mental health
(14:20) Methodology for the research on Replika users
(15:19) Sponsor - Brave Search API
(19:46) Replika providing people with a relationship they can trust and confide in
(23:20) How people are relating and reacting to their AI Replikas
(25:49) Stuffed animal analogy
(28:20) What people come to Replika for
(30:29) Sponsor - Netsuite | Omneky
(32:03) How malleable are people’s expectations for their Replika?
(36:54) The evolution of how people are interacting with Replika
(44:49) Putting Replika on device
(46:59) Underappreciated or developed aspects of AI development
(56:11) The relationship people have with their Replika is a moat
(1:08:46) Building AI to memorialize people after they passed: what are the ethics?
This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.
How AI companions can help solve loneliness with Replika’s Eugenia Kuyda | E1758
This Week in Startups is presented by:
Crowdbotics. Great ideas can change the world, and Crowdbotics is the fastest way to turn those ideas into code. Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist
The Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub helps all founders build a better startup, at a lower cost, from day one. Startups get up to $150K in Azure credits, access to free OpenAI credits, free dev tools like GitHub, technical advisory, access to mentors and experts, and so much more. There is no funding requirement, and it only takes minutes to join. Sign up today at aka.ms/thisweekinstartups
OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at openphone.com/twist
*
Today’s show:
Replika Co-Founder and CEO Eugenia Kuyda breaks down her startup’s origin story and purpose (1:43), the relationships users have with its AI chatbot (10:21), the potential of AI therapists, Replika’s new chatbot Blush, and more! (35:10)
Follow Eugenia: https://twitter.com/ekuyda
Check Out Replika: https://replika.ai/
*
Time stamps:
(0:00) Eugenia joins Jason
(1:43) Replika’s origin story
(8:54) Crowdbotics - Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist
(10:21) Replika’s purpose and their current user base
(16:21) Relationships within the app
(20:25) Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub - Apply in 5 minutes for six figures in discounts at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups
(21:58) Creating happiness with AI
(26:26) Avoiding addiction
(29:25) Demographics within the AI field
(33:42) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist
(35:10) Crafting LLMs to envoke thought-provoking questions and AI therapy
(49:53) Replika's new AI chatbot, Blush
(1:01:05) The loneliness crisis and specific cases for using these AIs
*
Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo & Apply for Funding
Buy ANGEL
Great recent interviews: Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt
Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
*
Follow Jason:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
*
Follow TWiST:
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
*
Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast
E3: The Empathy Revolution with Eugenia Kuyda of Replika
We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.
(01:08) Sponsor
(01:37) Introducing Eugenia
(03:25) Replika’s controversial choice to limit erotic roleplay functionality
(04:25) Eugenia's vision for Replika
(05:58) Augmented Reality is the Ultimate Modality
(07:52) Using Replika
(13:11) Profound stories about virtual assistants
(15:55) Eugenia on why Replika is more than just a painkiller or vitamin
(28:50) Replika's business model and profitability
(34:12) Users want their Replika to surprise them
(36:12) Why ChatGPT is not a conversational model
(49:26) Eugenia's prediction for the "next Iphone of personal AI"
(1:03:00) Eugenia’s AI tools/stack
(1:15:00) Eugenia comes back to discuss Erotic Roleplay controversy
(1:18:00) Replika’s first reaction to users ERP
(1: 22:00) How the product evolved from 90% scripts & retrieval models
(1:24:00) The definitive focus for Replika to stay in a PG13 zone
(1:26:00) “Normal” evolution given sci-fi depictions of AI romances
(1:30:00) Current AI ethics on sexuality
(1:37:07) Response to journalists misportrayal
(1:40:29) Sponsor
SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | OMNEKY
Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of ALL eCommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries.From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/cognitive
Thank you Omneky for sponsoring The Cognitive Revolution. Omneky is an omnichannel creative generation platform that lets you launch hundreds of thousands of ad iterations that actually work, customized across all platforms, with a click of a button. Omneky combines generative AI and real time advertising data, to generate personalized experiences at scale.
Twitter:
@CogRev_Podcast
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@labenz (Nathan)
@ekuyda (Eugenia)
Websites:
cognitivervolution.ai
https://replika.ai/
RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord.
https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics
This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.
#121 – Eugenia Kuyda: Friendship with an AI Companion
Eugenia Kuyda co-founder of Replika, an AI companion. Please check out our sponsors to get a discount and to support this podcast:
– Dollar Shave Club: https://dollarshaveclub.com/lex
– DoorDash: download app & use code LEX
– Cash App: download app & use code “LexPodcast”
Episode links:
Eugenia’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/ekuyda
Replika’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/myreplika
Replika’s Website: https://replika.ai
If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/podcast or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or support it on Patreon.
Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
06:18 – Loneliness
13:54 – Can AI alleviate loneliness?
18:13 – Love
20:49 – Russia in the 1990’s
31:47 – Chernobyl
41:35 – Communism
49:21 – Losing a friend
57:55 – Mortality
1:10:41 – Replika origin story
1:59:37 – Bringing people back to life with AI
2:05:37 – Relationship with Replika
2:18:27 – Can you form a connection with text alone?
2:27:45 – Does an AI companion need a body?
2:30:20 – Her
2:37:24 – GPT-3 for conversation
2:43:48 – We should be nice to AI
2:46:52 – Book recommendations
2:53:45 – Russian language
2:58:41 – Meaning of life