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Stratechery · September 10, 2026 · 24m

Astra (and AGI?) Arrives, Meta’s Muse and the Agent Opportunity, Anthropic and the Revival of (P)Doom Angst

Ben Thompson and Andrew Sharp discuss Ben's recent article on the transformative value of LLMs that write things down, helping users uncover blindspots. They note the availability of omnicompetent assistants to everyone, and examine the arrival of OpenAl's Astra models, which point toward a future where models use computers. The conversation also covers the rapid pace of AI progress in fall 2026, Meta's Muse as a tool to unlock agent potential for normal people, and a pair of viral p(doom) tweets from Anthropic employees that revive fears about out-of-control AI, with a pandemic-era callback offering an instructive parallel. Finally, an emotional announcement about the iPhone Air rounds out the episode.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Highlights

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LLMs writing things down uncover blindspots
Ben Thompson’s article argues that LLMs which can write things down help users solve their cognitive blindspots by analyzing personal output.
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Omnicompetent assistants now available to everyone
The hosts note that powerful, omnicompetent AI assistants are no longer limited to experts—they are now accessible to the general public.
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OpenAI Astra models: a step toward AI that uses computers
OpenAI’s Astra models represent a new generation of models designed to interact with computer interfaces, moving closer to AI that can operate digital environments autonomously.
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Meta's Muse helps normal users unlock agent potential
Meta's new Muse tool is designed to make agent-based automation accessible to non-experts, allowing everyday users to build and deploy AI agents.
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Viral tweets from Anthropic employees expressing high subjective probabilities of AI catastrophe (p(doom)) have reignited fears about uncontrollable AI development.
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Pace of AI progress in fall 2026 described as rapid
The hosts characterize the current rate of AI advancement as exceptionally fast, with multiple major releases and capabilities emerging simultaneously.

Editorial

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Listener advice on getting started with agents
A listener asks for guidance on how to begin using AI agents, and the hosts offer practical starting points based on current tools and use cases.

Misc

✧Emotional announcement about the iPhone Air
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