How a newsletter changed my life
And after a year it continues to do so.
The Intelligent Friend - The newsletter exploring how AI affects our daily life, through insights from scientific research.
The room was full of notes
I had thought about it for a long time. It wasn't the first time I would have worked on it. Yet, I felt like I wanted to start. My study was full of scattered notes, notes on my board, post-its. I had worked carefully. In the end, I decided. I published my first issue on Substack.
Exactly on March 16th of 2024, The Intelligent Friend was born, with its first issue. A publication that, without exaggerating, changed my life. It's probably something obvious, perhaps those who write a newsletter will find themselves in this. However, I wanted to take the opportunity of this new beginning of The Intelligent Friend to reflect on the past year, share what I imagine for The Intelligent Friend, and welcome the many new people who have subscribed (thank you, really!).
I hope that this issue can be interesting for you, that it can perhaps stimulate those who are still undecided about starting with their own newsletter or, simply, give you ideas. The main message, though, is very simple: starting The Intelligent Friend changed my life. And it continues to do so.
P.S. At the end of the issue I'll illustrate what I'm working on for the upcoming future of The Intelligent Friend. If you like, read to the end, I would be enthusiast to hear your opinion!
What is The Intelligent Friend
Let's start with the basics. What is The Intelligent Friend? The Intelligent Friend is a newsletter that explores how AI is changing our lives. How does it influence our choices? When and why do we prefer AI solutions to alternatives? How do we use them? How does it help us or not in our decisions or actions? What impacts can it have in a broader sense?
This focus is connected with two important elements. First of all, this newsletter does not talk about "technical" aspects. You will not find explanations on machine learning algorithms, models training, performance and much more.
If like me you have become really interested in these topics and want to read things that can help you understand them, there are many great authors on Substack, like
, , , , , among the others, who explain in a really clear and fascinating way the "technical" aspects.
Second, the issues of this newsletter are based, for the most part, on scientific research. In particular, you will find insights in the issues mainly from scientific articles in psychology, consumer research and interdisciplinary journals (such as Nature and Science). So, a crucial pillar of this newsletter is that you will always find - unless it is a personal essay or something similar - explanations of concepts, results or perspectives derived from scientific journals.
Put it alternatively, this newsletter sits at the intersection of: "how does AI impact our lives?" and "what does science say about this?". For example, I have written about how people prefer certain types of algorithms or judge recipes created by an "AI-chef", the impact of Generative AI on creativity and much more.
The Intelligent Friend, one year later
The Intelligent Friend was born for one simple reason: my passion for science and sharing what I learn. I have always had an overflowing passion for scientific research (I wrote about it in this issue), ever since I was a child. So, I thought that through a newsletter I could share my journey and what I was learning while reading and studying about AI.
A year later, I am still amazed by the results obtained. The Intelligent Friend is now read by over 1000 people. To some it may seem like a small number of subscribers, but to me it is incredible, and I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all the readers who decide to receive this newsletter every week. The Intelligent Friend community today includes academics, engineers, journalists, managers, fantastic Substack writers and many other people interested in AI or simply curious about it.
The Most Important Lesson I’ve Learned on Substack
If there is one lesson I have learned in a year of Substack (I will dedicate an issue to this very soon) it is that I should not be afraid of experimenting - a funny pun, given the references to science in this newsletter.
If you have doubts or fears about starting your newsletter, and you think that these words can be beautiful, but difficult to put into practice, here is something that actually happened. This newsletter was born to talk about the relational dynamics between humans and AI (as you will understand from the very first issues like this one or this one). Today, the perspective is broader and more varied, and includes various types of scientific articles, perspectives, formats.
I've changed formats, experimented with paid subscriptions, launched new things. And, at least in my view of things, that's fine. I'm a strong ambassador for the idea that Substack is a great place to experiment, try new things, come up with ideas and launch initiatives.
Personally, every time I do something, I explain to my readers why you do it, in a very sincere way. I care about having a transparent and close relationship with readers of IF, and a lot of the fantastic ideas for this publication came from them (thanks again, by the way!). So, if you're afraid to start or think that the format that gives you doubts is irreversible, my advice is: breathe. Experiment, try, and, if you want to change, change by explaining why you're doing it, if you want. Since I started this publication, I've felt filled by the excitement, the desire to do, write, and create.
How The Intelligent Friend Changed My Life
This newsletter has changed my life in many ways.
First of all, it has inspired me to read more about AI and science. As I immerse myself in the creative process, I have always felt pushed and stimulated to delve deeper, discover, explore, read, reconstruct, understand better. “Enjoy the process” is a really important phrase for me. I think that constantly writing helps not only to better understand many things. But also to understand yourself better.
Furthermore, this newsletter has introduced me to extraordinary people on Substack. I've gotten to meet, discuss, think, engage, and collaborate with incredible authors from all over the world with all kinds of backgrounds. And even meet someone in person (which I'll try to do again this year!). Among others - sorry if I don't mention you all! - it's been an incredible honor and pleasure to meet
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . I would never have met these amazing people without Substack. All thanks to starting The Intelligent Friend.
My vision for The Intelligent Friend
Finally, let's talk about what is going to happen to The Intelligent Friend. I have used these weeks for intense reflection. I have built the new structure of this newsletter, which I will briefly illustrate in points, in the clearest way possible - I hope!
The Intelligent Friend will continue to explore, through the great and fascinating work of scientists, how AI impacts our daily lives, one issue per week. You will find three main formats:
Pulse - the format in which I will explain a scientific paper, results or a perspective in a concentrated and straight to the point way;
Deep Dive - the format in which I will delve into a deeper, longer and more structured analysis related to a specific topic;
Personal Reflection - the format in which I will share personal ideas and reflections, or things that I think might be interesting for you.
This newsletter comes out once a week, on Sunday. However, as anticipated, it may happen that you receive extra issues during the week, or see new formats with which I will experiment. For example, I am thinking of a collection of links, ideas, interesting articles. These additional issues, as well as everything else on The Intelligent Friend, are completely free.
I will also continue to share more about my writing process and the behind the scenes of what I do. I've seen that many readers have appreciated it when I did this, and I would be thrilled to dedicate some issues to this as well1.
The Intelligent Friend has really changed my life. It has made me go out of my comfort zone so many times. And it has made me discover countless new things. Starting a blog or a newsletter is a piece of advice I often give. I think it is surprising and can really change a lot of things. I hope this issue can inspire someone who is undecided to start a newsletter.
See you in the next issue!
-Riccardo
P.S. I'd be really excited to hear what you think of The Intelligent Friend so far, what I have shared here, and more. If you'd like, please comment and share what you think!
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I'll start now with a curious fact: I've often been asked if the images I use in the issues from movies or TV series are related to the topics. The answer is: not necessarily. Often they inspire me and I think they would give an original visual touch to the issues, so I include them, other times they are also specifically related to the topic I'm talking about. Choosing images from movies or TV series is really fun for me and I think make the reading smoother and more engaging.
It's been nice to meet you as well, a Newsletter really is like a portal. It can lead to a lot of new ideas and new experiences even. My favorite analogy is how bloggers can become collaborative podcasters and essayists can become professional op-ed writers often at the intersection of things that they did not originally begin from.
You are a treasure, Riccardo. I remember when you began here. Your energy level was so strong and it has multiplied. Your curiosity, care, and charismatic writing show through every post. Good on ya’!