ABCs for Building The Future
ABCs for Building The Future
Podcast Description
If we don't fully understand ourselves, then how can AI understand us?
Bootstrapping epistemicme.ai to solve this in the open, and giving you the nitty gritty behind-the-scenes details of startup life.
We feature founders, entrepreneurs, researchers, scientists, and builders interested in building a better future together. People doing big things with big stories to tell, from the frontlines. And we share our own story in real-time with radical transparency, of building this global open source venture in public.
Join. abcsforbuildingthefuture.substack.com
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores themes such as AI personalization, belief modeling, and human values in technology, with episodes delving into topics like hyper-personalization in health AI, the philosophical foundations of AI alignment, and the intersection of technology and personal growth.
If we don’t fully understand ourselves, then how can AI understand us?
Bootstrapping epistemicme.ai to solve this in the open, and giving you the nitty gritty behind-the-scenes details of startup life.
We feature founders, entrepreneurs, researchers, scientists, and builders interested in building a better future together. People doing big things with big stories to tell, from the frontlines. And we share our own story in real-time with radical transparency, of building this global open source venture in public.
Join.
What if the root of mental illness — and the key to AI truly understanding us — lies hidden in the tangled web of our beliefs?
In this thought-provoking episode of The ABCs for Building the Future, Robert Ta and Jonathan McCoy sit down with Dr. Bishoy Goubran, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, to explore a groundbreaking frontier: how our belief systems shape mental health and how decoding them could align future AI systems with human values.
Together, they dive deep into cognitive distortions, psychosis, belief formation — and how creating a “conceptual GPS” of the human psyche could be the missing link in both medicine and machine learning.
This blog captures the core insights and reflections from this rich conversation — your map to understanding a future where AI helps heal, not harm.
Belief Systems: The Hidden GPS of Mental Health
Dr. Goubran shares how virtually all psychiatric illnesses — from depression to psychosis — show disruptions in automatic beliefs and associations. Understanding these disruptions could offer a predictive “map” of mental health states, allowing interventions before symptoms worsen.
“You could have a conceptual map, like a GPS, where the therapist or AI maneuvers through onion layers of beliefs.” — Dr. Bishoy Goubran
Imagine therapy sessions (or AI-assisted coaching) where underlying negative beliefs are mapped and adjusted, much like navigating detours on a map. This could revolutionize how mental health care is delivered — faster, more accurate, more compassionate.
AI as a Belief Cartographer: A New Role for Technology
Jonathan expands on how Epistemic Me’s framework could give AI the tools to understand belief structures — enabling systems to predict human responses and personalize interactions with high fidelity.
“The next best question to ask someone — that heuristic — could be systematically learned and optimized by AI.” — Jonathan McCoy
Rather than cold, mechanical bots, future AIs could become deeply empathetic guides. Startups, healthcare systems, and even governments could use these models to better serve diverse populations without flattening human nuance.
Healing Through Belief Confirmation and Clarification
The discussion introduces the idea that aligning a patient’s belief patterns — or clarifying distorted ones — can restore mental health baselines. By systematically tracking and understanding belief shifts, recovery could be accelerated.
“From a psychiatric point of view, belief confirmation means the patient is on the expected healing trajectory.” — Dr. Bishoy Goubran
This insight suggests new clinical tools: belief tracking dashboards, cognitive healing maps, and personalized recovery plans powered by AI and human collaboration.
Resources and Links
Why Epistemic Me Matters
“How can AI understand us if we don’t fully understand ourselves?”
We solve for this by create programmatic models of self, modeling belief systems, which we believe are the basis of defense against existential risk.
In the longevity tech space, we create tools that meet users where they are, helping them make better decisions, form healthier habits, and align with their deepest values.
ABCs for Building The Future is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Get Involved
Epistemic Me is building the foundational tools to make this vision a reality—and we’re doing it in the open. Here’s how you can join the movement:
* Check out the GitHub repo to explore our open-source SDK and start contributing.
* Subscribe to the podcast for weekly insights on technology, philosophy, and the future.
* Join the community. Whether you’re a developer, researcher, or someone passionate about the intersection of AI and humanity, we want to hear from you. Email me anytime!
FAQs
Q: What is the relationship between belief systems and mental health?A: Dr. Goubran explains that disruptions in belief patterns often signal psychiatric conditions. Mapping these belief disruptions could provide early warning signs, enabling more accurate diagnosis, intervention, and long-term support.
Q: How does Epistemic Me fit into this conversation?A: Epistemic Me is developing tools to map human beliefs with precision and empathy, creating a conceptual framework (similar to a GPS) that could assist therapists, AI systems, and individuals in navigating complex mental and emotional landscapes.
Q: Why does this matter for AI?A: Because without shared values, we can’t align AI. Belief systems that scale and unify are essential to building tools that serve humanity, not destroy it.
Q: What is Epistemic Me?
A: It’s an open-source SDK designed to model belief systems and make AI more human-aligned.
Q: Who is this podcast for?
A: Entrepreneurs, builders, developers, researchers, and anyone who’s curious about the intersection of technology, philosophy, and personal growth. If you’ve ever wondered how to align AI with human values—or just how to understand yourself better—this is for you.
Q: How can I contribute?
A: Visit epistemicme.ai or check out our GitHub to start contributing today.
Q: Why open source? A: Transparency and collaboration are key to building tools that truly benefit humanity.
Q: Why focus on beliefs in AI?A: Beliefs shape our understanding of the world. Modeling them enables AI to adapt to human nuances and foster shared understanding.
Q: How does Epistemic Me work?
A: Our open-source SDK uses predictive models to help developers create belief-driven, hyper-personalized solutions for applications in health, collaboration, and personal growth. Think of it as a toolkit for understanding how people think and making better tools, apps, or decisions because of it.
Q: How is this different from other AI tools?
A: Most AI tools are about predictions and automation. Epistemic Me is about understanding—building models that reflect the nuances of human thought and behavior. And it’s open source!
Q: How can I get involved?
A: Glad you asked! Check out our GitHub.
Q: Who can join?
A: Developers, philosophers, researchers, scientists and anyone passionate about the underpinnings of human beliefs, and interested in solving for AI Alignment.
Q: How to start?
A: Visit our GitHub repository, explore our documentation, and become part of a project that envisions a new frontier in belief modeling.
Q: Why open-source?
A: It’s about harnessing collective intelligence for innovation, transparency, and global community involvement in shaping belief-driven solutions.
P.S. If you haven’t already checked out my other newsletter, ABCs for Growth—that’s where I have personal reflections on personal growth related to applied emotional intelligence, leadership and influence concepts, etc.
P.S.S. Want reminders on entrepreneurship, growth, leadership, empathy, and product?
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