Ep. 11 | Regurgitation or Intelligence? Can AI Generate Novel Thoughts? | John Giannandrea

General Magic & The Soul of Tech · Oct 16, 2026 · 48m · transcript

John Giannandrea, who ran AI at Google and Apple, and Steve Jarrett, former Chief AI Officer at Orange, both General Magic alum, talk with us about AI hype, regulation and why the best technology comes from values, not money. It’s a conversation about hype, accountability and humility from two General Magic alumni and AI pioneers.

In this episode

* 00:29 – Introducing the guests: John Giannandrea and Steve Jarrett, two General Magic alumni at the center of the advent of AI

* 01:31 – Steve’s opening question: what has surprised John most about AI, compared with the smartphone and the web?

*…