a16z Podcast

From Sims to Sapiens: Crafting Reality with Code

Joon Park, Martin Casado, and Steph Smith

Posted November 6, 2023

Is it possible to construct a virtual society that authentically replicates human behavior? AI Town, a virtual town experiment where AI residents live, interact, and engage, provides valuable insights into the future of AI’s believability and its interaction with humanity.

In this panel discussion, Joon Park, the author of ‘Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior,’ and Martin Casado from a16z, discuss the influence and potential of Generative Agents, exploring their practical applications in the real world.

Show Notes

00:00 – Simulating human behaviors

04:49 – What are generative agents?

07:47 – Simulations, new technology, and LLMs

11:45 – The architecture behind simulating human behavior

16:37 – Generative agents interactions: observing, planning, and reflecting

20:22 – What is the value in advancing generative agents?

24:01 – Use cases for simulation behavior technology

29:31 – What are the ethical frameworks?

33:12 – Q&A from the audience

Resources

Find AI Town: https://www.convex.dev/ai-town

Read the paper ‘Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior’: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2304.03442.pdf

Find Joon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/joon_s_pk

Find Martin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/martin_casado

Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z

Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/

Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio

More About This Podcast

The a16z Podcast discusses the most important ideas within technology with the people building it. Each episode aims to put listeners ahead of the curve, covering topics like AI, energy, genomics, space, and more.

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