Latest news with #DanSiroker
Forbes
30-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The AI Entrepreneur Augmenting Human Memory To Create Perfect Memory
Dan Siroker Can you remember all the details of the business meetings you had last week? Or what you said to your kids when you got home from work? Our ability to remember changes with age. The memories might be there, but they are not quite so accessible. And with a hectic pace of life, human memory can only retain so much. But with the evolution of AI, all that could soon become a thing of the past. Serial entrepreneur Dan Siroker believes he has found a solution to augmenting human memory in Limitless, an AI pendant that captures and preserves every the minutiae of everyday life, from the detail of work meetings to the informal interactions with family and friends that are otherwise lost in the mists of time. The inspiration for the human augmentation tool came from an experience Siroker had in his twenties when he started to lose his hearing due to a condition called otosclerosis. He says: 'When I tried a hearing aid, it was magical. To lose a sense and then regain it was like gaining a superpower, and ever since then, I have been on a hunt for ways that technology can augment human capabilities and give us superpowers.' Political inspiration Siroker started his career as a product manager at Google before leaving in 2007 to join the Obama campaign. 'It was a talk that Obama gave at Google about his desire to take what we were doing there around science and data and bring it to the government that inspired me,' he says. 'It was one of the first campaigns that used a lot of AB testing on the website and experimented with how best to persuade the world that Barack Obama was a good candidate. He won.' That inspired Siroker to launch his first company, Optimizely, a website AB testing company that effectively turned that political campaign work into a product. It was around this time that his hearing issues began, prompting him to sell his business for $300 million and start work on what would ultimately become Limitless. Perfect memory Two early iterations included Scribe, which transcribed Zoom meetings, and Rewind AI, which could capture and comprehend everything you do on your computer. 'We then started to think about real-world conversation, not just Zoom meetings, but in-person conversations, dinnertime conversations; the concept of perfect memory,' says Siroker. 'That's what led to the Limitless pendant, which captures and preserves everything you say and hear and makes it so valuable.' Developing the hardware element of Limitless was a huge challenge that Siroker admits he seriously underestimated. Several investors tried to talk him out of it. He says: 'With Optimizely, I didn't have to worry about physical matter or coordinating with Chinese factories. I even found the type of people who make hardware very different from those who make software.' Limitless, which Siroker cofounded with Brett Bejcek, has applications for business, productivity, etc., and beyond work, for family life. 'It helps me be a better dad,' he says 'Every morning, I get a push notification from the app that looks at everything I've said, everything I've heard, how I've interacted with my kids, and gives me concrete examples of things I could have done better or differently. That kind of life coach capability is only possible when you have something that captures what's going on throughout your day.' For neurodivergent people, for example, those with ADHD, who have focus and memory issues, Limitless is a tool that can keep them on track and augment their other natural talents. Secure by design One of the biggest concerns around AI and its use in so many application is privacy, but as Siroker explains, Limitless is secure by design. He says: 'We use Apple's accessory kit for authentication encryption, so the data is never stolen. Even if you lose your pendant, a third party cannot access the data. It's HIPAA compliant, and in the U.S., provides the same level of protection as your health records.' Since its inception in October 2023, Limitless is now available in every country where regulations permit, with over 10,000 people already wearing it, and a much longer list of people who have ordered it. Limitless has a remote-first team of 18 based throughout the U.S. and is on track to achieve a million sales in the next two years. Investors and users The company has raised $33 million from high profile investors that include Sam Altman, First Round Capital, and more recently NEA. Charles Hudson, managing partner and founder of early-stage venture capital firm Precursor Ventures is both an investor and an avid user of Limitless. When Siroker initially approached him with the concept of perfect memory, Hudson was intrigued but admits that he didn't immediately grasp it. Then with arrival of Rewind, the vision became clearer. Hudson says: 'Having a meeting assistant that could deliver high-quality notes for my weekly 70 to 80 meetings would be useful in helping me manage the cognitive load of keeping track of what was said, by whom, and what things I had committed to do. When I invested in Limitless, while there were other meeting assistant tools in the market, I didn't feel any of them had this vision of perfect memory across so many aspects of personal and professional life. 'While Dan talks about it as a perfect memory, I think about it as a perfect presence; with the pendant on, I don't have to worry about taking notes or writing things down because the pendant will catch it all.' Digital diary Entrepreneur Josh Lehman is founder of Martian Engineering, which uses AI to speed up software development. He is also a father of two young children. He originally bought the Limitless pendant thinking it would help with work, but quickly realized its biggest impact was at home, especially with his kids. He says: 'The first day I wore it was over the Easter weekend. I wasn't working and spent the day doing things with the children, going to the playground, coloring, and handling tantrums. The next day, I got a notification from Limitless summarizing my day, including moments where I could've been more patient. 'That's when it clicked. The pendant was capturing all the small, meaningful moments that are easy to forget; moments that photos alone can't preserve. It was like a digital diary. It's now part of my daily routine, especially valuable during mornings and evenings with my kids.' Transforming human memory As for the future of human augmentation, Siroker envisages LLMs getting smarter and eventually developing consciousness and a subjective experience. It will transform our reliance on human memory. He says: 'I'm convinced that our grandkids will look back at how we lived our lives today and be shocked at how we went through our lives forgetting 90% of what happened after a week.'
The Sun
26-04-2025
- The Sun
I tried new £150 AI memory aid gizmo that records your EVERY word & then tells you off – it's clever but also terrifying
Nadia Cohen, Feature Writer Published: Invalid Date, BEFORE going to bed, I looked at the notes from my new artificial intelligence life coach and realised the day really hadn't been a good one. My pocket-sized tutor berated me for not giving family more of my attention, judged the way I spoke to one of my work colleagues and chastised me for not taking time to connect with my partner. 3 3 3 Soon, the way you live your life could be analysed like this, too. I was one of the first in the UK to try the Limitless Pendant. It is a discreet AI gadget you clip to your clothes that records everything said by you — and those nearby. On sale now in the UK for £150, the little black disc provides a full transcript of your day, as well as notes and tips on how you should have behaved. Perfect if, like me, you have a shocking memory. But also potentially disastrous if those around you don't know from the off they are being recorded and take umbrage — as mine did! The 3cm disc, with an inbuilt microphone, is the brainchild of American Dan Siroker, who set up Limitless five years ago. When he put the pendants up for sale last year, they were snapped up faster than he could have imagined. In fact, 10,000 were bought in 24 hours — and the gizmos are being delivered around the world in the next few weeks. A bit obsessed Dan has said the gadget can improve human intelligence by using AI to overcome the brain's limitations, specifically with memory and focus. How to use ChatGPT for home & garden renovations without spending a penny - see how good it looks before you even start He explained: 'It can help people live better, more productive, more self-aware lives.' To be fair, some of its functions were quite useful. After connecting it to an app on my phone, I could see every conversation I'd had — along with those words of advice. When my two sons complained because they wanted to show me trainers online while I was busy making their tea, I ignored them. The pendant later said: 'You could have tried to balance their excitement with your need to make dinner.' And when my dad rang during office hours and I told him I had no time to talk, the pendant reminded me that family is important and I should 'fully engage' instead of concentrating so much on work. It sounds like a great idea, in theory. I became a bit obsessed with asking the suggested questions at the end of each day, such as, 'How could I have been more effective today at work?' or, 'How could I be more persuasive?' But there are pitfalls. At some points, it could not understand what I was saying and was convinced my son Harry was called Tory. And there were times when I had zero idea what it was on about, and felt like it was nagging me. But the biggest issue is privacy. I'd never wear it in the bedroom, and one night in the pub, I only remembered to tell my pals about it on our third round. They were raging. Recording conversations without consent in the UK can lead to civil claims for damages and criminal prosecution. The pendant does have a visible, white LED light. So, according to the company, 'everyone you meet with understands that it is recording'. But as mine was clipped to my jeans, and my jumper was on top, that was impossible. The company website suggests you broach the recording issue by saying something like: 'This conversation is important to me and I want to remember what you say without taking notes. Is it OK if I use this pendant to capture the conversation? I'm happy to share the transcript if you like.' Clever but terrifying Chief executive Dan reveals he does it, insisting: 'I haven't had a single person say to me, 'Oh, that's weird. Take that off'. 'It's not for everyone. Not everyone wants to be better in life. But if you do, this is magic.' Then there's the matter of your privacy, as everything you say or do is captured. The company says your recordings are encrypted, legally protected and safe from third-party AI providers. Users can lock recordings on the app, and the company pledges never to access data without permission. Dan says this is 'the future', adding: 'There will be millions, if not billions, of people on the planet wearing this, or one of our competitors' devices, in the years to come.' While this could make me a better person, it also risks killing the art of conversation, as we all fear others might be recording us. It could also get pricey. On the final day of my experiment, I lost the pendant. I briefly panicked, before realising that all I had to do was check on the app when it last picked up my voice. That was in the car. Clever — but slightly terrifying at the same time. A week in, I felt a bit irritated by the pendant's feedback and could not wait to shove it back in its box. With it on, it seemed like I was being spied on, which felt intrusive. I admit it has its uses, though. And I really should call my dad. Artificial Intelligence explained Here's what you need to know Artificial intelligence, also known as AI, is a type of computer software Typically, a computer will do what you tell it to do But artificial intelligence simulates the human mind, and can make its own deductions, inferences or decisions A simple computer might let you set an alarm to wake you up But an AI system might scan your emails, work out that you've got a meeting tomorrow, and then set an alarm and plan a journey for you AI tech is often 'trained' – which means it observes something (potentially even a human) then learns about a task over time For instance, an AI system can be fed thousands of photos of human faces, then generate photos of human faces all on its own Some experts have raised concerns that humans will eventually lose control of super-intelligent AI But the tech world is still divided over whether or not AI tech will eventually kill us all in a Terminator-style apocalypse
