AI for Meaningful Human Experience
I study human meaning and how we can build AI in a way that makes more, not less, of it. Currently, I'm a postdoc at The Alan Turing Institute in London, where I work on a project called Doing AI Differently—looking at how we can apply ideas from the humanities to technical advances in AI. My background is in cognitive science; before my current role I trained at UCLA, Harvard, and Oxford. I write, give talks, and publish academic research.
AI should give us more of what matters and less of what doesn't.
My Research
How can we build AI systems that optimize for human meaning?
Social media systems were designed to optimize for engagement. The content on these platforms gets evaluated according to likes, shares, comments, and views, and so this is the signal the algorithms that govern these platforms pick up on. This design decision has not, to put it mildly, turned out well. It has lead to polarized discourse, widespread loneliness, the destabilization of mental health, among much else.
With AI, we're on the precipice of a new era of powerful, societally-impactful sociotechnical systems. We need a better theory of what we want from this technology—better, at least, than the one on which we build social media.
What we might want, instead, is technology that can optimize for meaningful human experience. The problem is that we don't yet know how to do this. Engagement is easy to measure; meaning isn't. We need new ways of measuring meaning at scale. Then—and only then—can we say whether an AI system is generating more or less of it.
My Writing
The best way to follow my work is by subscribing to my Substack.
I write about things like:
In grad school, I did 100+ episodes of a podcast called Cognitive Revolution.
My Talks
I give talks on AI and the psychology of human meaning.
Topics include:
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Beyond Thin Productivity
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AI as Entertainment
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Optimizing for Meaning
“Cody’s talk was a highlight of the conference, truly stirring!” —Jim J., CEO Clear IP, 4x Founder
"never once was it anything other than interesting, urgent, and insightful." —Eleanor D., Keynote Speaker
“If you're looking for a speaker who cuts through the AI hype, Cody Kommers is your person.” —Dave V., Executive Lead AWS