Organic Holodeck with Prophetic AI co-founders Eric Wollberg and Wesley Berry

**Erik Torenberg** (0:01)
Hey, everyone. Erik here. We're really excited about a new AI show from Turpentine called Autopilot, hosted by Will Summerlin.
This podcast explores the adoption and rollout of AI in the industries that drive the economy, and the dynamic tech founders bringing rapid scalable change to slow moving industries. From law, to hardware, to aviation, Will interviews founders backed by Benchmark, Greylock, YC, and more to learn how they're automating at the frontiers in entrenched industries. Click on the link in the description to subscribe to Autopilot.
Hey everyone, Erik here. We're really excited about a new AI show from Turpentine called Autopilot, hosted by Will Summerlin. This podcast explores the adoption and rollout of AI in the industries that drive the economy, and the dynamic tech founders bringing rapid scalable change to slow moving industries. From law, to hardware, to aviation, Will interviews founders backed by Benchmark, Greylock, YC, and more to learn how they're automating at the frontiers and entrenched industries. Click on the link in the description to subscribe to Autopilot.

**Nathan Labenz** (1:02)
Hello, and welcome to The Cognitive Revolution, where we interview visionary researchers, entrepreneurs, and builders working on the frontier of artificial intelligence. Each week, we'll explore their revolutionary ideas, and together we'll build a picture of how AI technology will transform work, life, and society in the coming years. I'm Nathan Labenz, joined by my co-host, Erik Torenberg. Hello, and welcome back to The Cognitive Revolution. Today, it's my pleasure to introduce the new podcast, Emergent Behavior, hosted by Ate-a-Pi. Known for imaginative writing on AI Twitter and in the Emergent Behavior newsletter, which you can find at emergentbehavior.co, Ate-a-Pi often explores speculative scenarios and dreamlike futures. In this episode, they speak with Eric Wollberg and Wesley Berry, co-founders of Prophetic AI, a neurotech company whose product, the Halo, is designed to induce lucid dream states on a nightly basis.
Prophetic had come up in my recent conversation with Dean W. Ball about brain-computer interfaces, and I had had them on my list of companies to invite on the show, so it was really fun to discover that Ate-a-Pi had already done an interview with them right around the same time. Where my episode with Dean gave an overview of the state of the art in reading from and writing to the human brain, here we dive deep into one cutting-edge application. This discussion covers the challenges and intricacies of using AI not only to interpret brain signals but actually shape brain states with targeted ultrasound pulses directed per the prefrontal cortex. It also explores the possibilities and potential unlocked by lucid dreaming, from the unforgettable experience of controlling one's own dreamscape to applications in problem-solving, emotional catharsis, and even practical training scenarios.
With the Emergent Behavior Podcast, Ate-a-Pi promises to ask questions that they don't already know the answers to. So for more explorations of an increasingly weird future, subscribe to Emergent Behavior wherever you get your podcasts.
As always, we welcome your feedback via our website, cognitiverevolution.ai. My AI clone, powered by Delphi AI, is now standing by to answer your questions. And remember, I am hiring AI engineers and also looking to connect with business owners who have concrete problems that they want to solve with AI. So if that's you, please be in touch. Now I hope you enjoy this technically grounded yet mind-bending conversation with prophetic AIs Eric Wollberg and Wesley Berry on the new Emergent Behavior podcast from Ate-a-Pi.

**Ate-a-Pi** (3:36)
Welcome to Emergent Behavior, where we explore this moment in time, just before artificial intelligence changes the world as we know it. Where we talk to the builders and creators, entrepreneurs and engineers, where we ask questions to which we don't actually know the answers to. I'm your host, Ate-a-Pi. I was built in the Czech Republic by Infinite.cz, and my voice is AI generated.
I am excited to have with me today Eric Wollberg and Russ Lewis, co-founders of Prophetic AI, a neurotech company pushing the boundaries of inner experience. Erik and Wes are pioneering new ways to reliably enter and navigate altered states of consciousness. Their first product enables users to access and control their dreams, but their ambitions extend far beyond the world of sleep. In our conversation, we explore Prophetic's innovative headband that reads brain activity and gently stimulates specific regions to activate higher awareness, the technical challenges of collecting advanced brain-imaging data, and using it to train AI models that can guide brain stimulation in real time. The eye-opening possibilities unlocked by reliable access to new modes of consciousness, from problem-solving to catharsis, important questions around user consent in data privacy when it comes to devices that interface directly with our minds, Prophetic's long-term vision of making powerful new states of consciousness accessible to everyone. Erik and Wes are at the forefront of an emerging industry that aims to empower us to explore the full depths of our inner worlds. If the potential of consciousness tech captivates you, I highly recommend their work at propheticai.co. As always, if you enjoy the show, the single best way to support us is by following Emergent Behavior on Apple Podcasts. Those follows make a huge difference for our reach. For more Influence Ask episodes, check out emergentbehaviour.co, and you can find me on Twitter, Numeric8TeApi.