A very special (if somewhat fishy) holiday episode of ‘The Context Maker’. Japhet Asher Dec 15, 2025 This week, I’m writing more of a bouillabaisse than a blog post. I’ve taken inspiration from the The Feast of the Seven Fishes (Festa dei Sette Pesci), the Italian-American Christmas Eve tradition popularised in the TV series, ‘The … Continue reading Go Fish!
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Yann and Me: Different Orbits, Same Planet
From World Models to Story Worlds Japhet Asher Dec 04, 2025 Ok, I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a Yann LeCun fanboy. I mean, we have so much in common. Yann and I both went to school in France (him all the way through a PhD in computer science from Université Pierre et Marie … Continue reading Yann and Me: Different Orbits, Same Planet
An AI conversation about Conversation
Do you talk to your AI assistant much? I mean, talk out loud, using speech mode for both input and output? I generally use voice when I’m asking a quick question, like what temperature to cook sausages in the oven, or why my boiler pressure has plummeted. At Meta, I worked on real time voice … Continue reading An AI conversation about Conversation
The C Word
When I proposed at the end of last week’s blog that I was going to post next about the c-word in storytelling, I was planning to write about the Latin word cum which, even if your memory of long-ago Latin classes is as addled as mine, you’ll know means “with,” as in the phrase summa cum laude — “highest … Continue reading The C Word
A man of many faces.
Who am I going to be next? Meet Matthias Klee from the free city of Nuremberg. A 17th Century maker of mechanical curiosities… and my historical doppelganger. At least according to a remarkable time traveller called The Face Tracer. It’s a GPT I’ve built that is at once an experimental plaything and a metaphorical mirror … Continue reading A man of many faces.
“Show Your Workings”: An old idea that might help solve new problems AI is creating in the classroom.
When I was a kid, I was pretty good at maths. I could do quite complex calculations in my head, visualising the numbers. But at school, my teacher Mr. Cutcliffe (who went by the nickname Sigi for reasons I never quite understood) would get annoyed with me, even though I provided the correct answers. Sigi … Continue reading “Show Your Workings”: An old idea that might help solve new problems AI is creating in the classroom.
Building Quantum Teapot: What I Learned From Watching People Get Lost in my AI Storyworld
When I released Quantum Teapot a few weeks ago, I invited friends, family, and a few adventurous strangers to test it. I wanted to see how people would navigate a multi-character AI storyworld, what patterns would emerge, and where my design choices would hold or break down. Over the past few weeks, I’ve collected some of their … Continue reading Building Quantum Teapot: What I Learned From Watching People Get Lost in my AI Storyworld
Welcome to the strange town of ‘Quantum Teapot’, population… negotiable.
I’ve been conducting a new narrative exploration, and I’d like to share it with you. Over the last couple of years, I have built literally hundreds of AI characters, both as part of my work at Meta and for my own creative explorations in storytelling. I’ve also been involved in efforts to combine AI characters … Continue reading Welcome to the strange town of ‘Quantum Teapot’, population… negotiable.
I Know What They Want (And That’s the Problem)
Is 'helpful' ever actually useful when it comes to storytelling? “I know what they want, and I know how to give it to them.” I have been much mocked in my family over many years after recounting a strange dream I had one night early in my filmmaking career. This line, foolishly shared with my … Continue reading I Know What They Want (And That’s the Problem)
The Loop of One: AI and the Joy of Private Creativity
What if making something is just as valid when the only audience is you? We don’t usually think of creativity that way. For centuries, making has been tethered to sharing—paintings for galleries, scripts for producers, songs for listeners. But much of human creativity has always been private: a doodle in a margin, a tune hummed … Continue reading The Loop of One: AI and the Joy of Private Creativity
Polarity Reversal 