The AI Optimist.
Meet Dr. Alan D. Thompson.
(The News Items Podcast, Episode #21: Interview with Dr. Alan D. Thompson. Recorded 5 August 2026. Produced by Dale Eisinger. You can find this podcast, and previous News Items podcasts, on most of the major platforms, including Apple, Amazon and Spotify.)
This from Claude (which seems appropriate):
Dr. Alan D. Thompson is an Australian AI researcher and consultant known for his work on large language models and human intelligence augmentation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, AI, and Psychology from Edith Cowan University (2004), studied gifted education at Flinders University (2017), and earned a doctorate from Emerson in 2021. He began building AI systems as early as 1991, developing an early chatbot in QBasic, and later became a Fellow of the Institute of Coaching affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
Thompson runs LifeArchitect.ai, where he tracks and analyzes the state of large language models, notably through his widely cited “Models Table,” and authored the guide “What’s in my AI?” His work has informed AI policy discussions at the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and various government agencies, and has been featured by Microsoft, Apple, and in Oxford’s 2021 AI Ethics debate. He’s also known for gifted-education work, having chaired Mensa International’s gifted families committee for two terms and authored the best-selling book Bright, used at schools including one founded by Elon Musk.
The long version can be found at his website.
Every month, Alan distributes a newsletter called “The Memo” and most everyone in AI world reads it. A friend of mine sent me a copy a couple of months ago. I subscribed almost immediately after reading it. It’s expensive ($360 annually) and worth every penny. You can subscribe here.
Alan joined me earlier this week for ~45 minute discussion of all things AI. Hopefully you will find it worth every penny of your time.