About this podcast

In the third part of The Vergecast's AI mini-series, host David Pierce embarks on a fascinating journey through the 50-year quest to build a virtual assistant. This episode explores the enduring dream of computers that understand and communicate in natural language, dating back to groundbreaking work at Xerox PARC in the 1970s, exemplified by the 'Gus' (Genial Understander System). Pierce examines the evolution from early text-based interfaces to the current resurgence of conversational AI with modern large language models like ChatGPT, Bing, and Bard. The discussion delves into critical questions about the future of computing and how close we are to realizing the long-held vision of truly intuitive AI assistants. The episode features an insightful interview with Richard Socher, CEO of u.com, who shares his expertise on the cutting-edge of AI assistant platforms.