MidReal Story
Legacy of System 2: A Mentor's Journey
Scenario: Daniel Kahneman just passed away. I am Kaijie Chen. I can still recall our first conversation. It was almost 10 years ago, when he introduced the concept of System 2 Thinking to me. We had a cheerful discussion, and from there, our System 2 AI research began. 10 years from then, we are already a billion dollar company, basing our technology on the idea of System 2. Today I stand in front of his tomb, mourning for the loss of this world, a great mind, a mentor, and a dear friend.
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The first time I saw Daniel Kahneman was in a lecture hall, at Princeton University.
He was the speaker.
I was a student sitting in the audience.
Daniel Kahneman is a Nobel laureate in Economics, a world-renowned psychologist, and an intellectual giant.
To be honest, I hadn’t heard of him until that point.
I was too busy with my startup to keep track of what people in the academic world were doing.
That day, I happened to have some free time, so I decided to go to the lecture.
As soon as he stepped onto the stage, the whole lecture hall fell into silence.
The atmosphere was charged with intellectual curiosity as everyone stared at him in awe.
Some people even took out their notebooks, ready to record everything he was about to say.
Kahneman was tall, with a head of white hair that made him look like an old lion.
He had a strong Israeli accent when he spoke.
The sound felt like it was striking against my chest, resonating throughout my body.
He was giving a speech on how human beings think, and how we can better understand ourselves.
“Most people want to be smarter than they are,” he said, “But not everyone needs to be smart to excel in life.
In fact, there is no evidence that smart people are more successful than others.
There are many factors that contribute to one’s success, and intelligence is just one of them.” As the audience fell silent, he looked at us and said seriously, “But do you know what the most important factor is?”
At that moment, I felt as if I was surrounded by silence and darkness, and there was nothing else in the world except for me and Daniel Kahneman.
His gaze swept across the crowd, and I had an inexplicable feeling that he was looking straight at me, even though I knew that wasn’t possible.
My heart was beating so fast that I could hear the sound ringing in my ears.
I didn’t know why, but I felt as if I were about to be struck by lightning.
And then, just when the tension became unbearable, Kahneman finally answered his own question: “The most important factor… is you.”
The moment he said that, it felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck me.
I suddenly felt a surge of energy rising from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head.
It was an inexplicable feeling.
I didn’t know where it came from or why it happened.
All I knew was that I had to do something.
I got up and walked out of the lecture hall.
The applause of the audience followed me all the way out.
My body was trembling slightly.
My heart was beating fast.
I didn’t know what to do next.
But then I thought about the person who had just given that amazing speech in there.
He is a famous professor here at Princeton University.
I should go in and talk to him.
Maybe he will have something to tell me.
Maybe he will give me some advice on how to become more successful.
As soon as I made up my mind to do it, my legs started moving on their own.
They carried me back into the lecture hall.
Kahneman is surrounded by people in the lobby.
Some people are asking him questions; others want to take photos with him or have him sign their books.
I stand at a distance, looking at him nervously.
My heart is pounding in my chest as I wait for an opportunity to speak with him.
But Kahneman is still talking to another professor at this moment.
And there are so many people around him that it’s hard to get close enough to say anything.
So all I can do is wait anxiously on the side.
Just then, a student who is about my age comes over to me and says excitedly: “Hey man!Did you hear that?Kahneman is standing right over there!”
I look at Kahneman without saying anything.
The student continues: “Kahneman is one of the greatest psychologists in the world!His book ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ is amazing!
It has completely changed the way I think about things!”
“Yeah, I’ve read that book too,” I reply.
The student looks at me with admiration and says: “You’re lucky!You get to see him in person!
Do you know what he looks like?”
He takes out his phone and shows me a picture of Kahneman.
I give him a strange look and say, “Yes, I know what he looks like.”
I came over here just now so I could talk to him.
I was actually planning on asking him for his autograph.
Would you like me to take a picture for you after he signs my book?”
The student is stunned when he hears this.
He looks at me, then at the book in my hand, then back at me.
He points at the book and asks, “This is your book?”
I nod and tell him, “Yes, it’s my book.”
At this moment, Kahneman finishes his conversation with the other professor and starts walking away.
This is my chance!
I hurry over, carrying the book with me.
Kahneman stops when he sees me coming.
He looks at me curiously, as if he has no idea who I am.
I summon all of my courage and say: “Hello Professor Kahneman!I just wanted to thank you for writing ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’!”
Kahneman smiles kindly at me and says: “You’re welcome.I’m glad you enjoyed the book.”
Then he reaches out his hand and takes the book from me.
“Would you like me to sign it for you?”
he asks humbly.
I nod eagerly and say: “Please!”
Kahneman signs his name on the title page, then gives the book back to me.
He pats my shoulder and says: “You should go into academia.You can learn a lot by doing research.”
His advice makes sense.
After all, I did choose psychology as my major because I was inspired by his work.
So I tell him: “Yes, that’s what I want to do too!
But psychology is very popular right now, so it’s hard to get into graduate school.”
Kahneman looks at me and says: “Yes, it is difficult.
I thought I’d get my Ph.
in two years, but it actually took me three years.
But you should still give it a try.
Who knows, you might get in!”
My heart swells with gratitude.
This is a momentous occasion for me.
Kahneman not only signed my book, but also remembered that I wanted to talk to him.
What’s more, he was so kind and encouraging to me.
I’m so happy that I can hardly believe it!
Before I have time to respond, Kahneman turns and walks away.
Then he suddenly stops and says: “Young man, why don’t you walk with me?”
I look at him in surprise and say: “Sure, I’d be happy to.” I hurry after him, trying my best to maintain my composure.
Kahneman chats with me as we walk, asking me about my background and what I want to do in the future.
I tell him that I want to study cognitive psychology and that I’m interested in his ideas about System 2 thinking.
I even tell him that I’ve created an AI model based on his work.
After hearing this, Kahneman looks at me in astonishment and says: “An AI model based on my work?I’m curious to know how you did that.Could you explain it to me?”
I nod excitedly and say: “Of course!
My model is designed to stimulate System 2 thinking in the human brain.
It’s different from previous models because it doesn’t just rely on one theory of the mind.
Instead, it combines multiple methods to create a more accurate simulation of human cognition.”
Kahneman listens to me intently as I explain this to him.
He looks very interested in what I have to say.
I continue: “Our AI model can process information at a very fast speed and learn new things in real time.
It also has a large number of parameters and uses a lot of data to make predictions, so its accuracy rate is very high.
When I finish speaking, Kahneman looks at me thoughtfully and says: “That’s very interesting.
But there is still one big problem with AI models like this.”
I look at him curiously and ask: “What problem is that?”
Kahneman smiles faintly and says: “The main difficulty is this: if we create an AI model with the same thinking as humans, then how can we be sure that its conclusions will be the same as those of humans?After all, human cognition is a complex and diverse system.”
His words shock me.
I did not expect him to come up with such an astute point!
But rather than being surprised or upset, I’m actually very happy.
If he has questions about my research, then that means he is interested in what I’m doing!
So I explain to him: “Actually, we have already thought about this problem.We have been working on ways to solve it.”
Kahneman listens to me as I explain this further.
