Tobi here.

Eight months ago, I lost my software developer job and decided that rather than getting another role, I would spend most of my time learning how to build with AI. I earned just enough to survive and spent the rest of my time building AI products.

Over those months, I tried my hand at multiple projects and came up with two somewhat contradictory conclusions:

1. *AI is a springboard for the autodidact.* I was able to learn much faster than I ever had before, taking on projects I'd never considered—from simple summarization tools to complex software requiring IMAP integration.

2. *AI made me intellectually lazier.* I had become too dependent on it for solving problems and brainstorming ideas. My workflow was disorganized—files scattered across different models and providers. I couldn't tell if my thought process was genuinely mine or if I was being nudged toward biased conclusions.

I realized this was a big problem. The cause wasn't AI itself, but the environment we interact with AI in. So I decided to build and launch *Irulan*—a thinking space designed for an ideal symbiotic relationship between humans and AI.

## What Irulan Does

Irulan puts you in control by giving you space to write down your thoughts uninterrupted, while AI can edit your documents or review your work. You can also record voice sessions, which we process to extract notes, insights, and other valuable nuggets from your voice notes.

Our AI chat features a *Socratic mode* where we guide users through their learning topics using the Socratic method. Our AI agent can also generate artifacts like quizzes with progressive difficulty based on your conversations.

We want to create a symbiotic space for humans and AI that puts control in human hands—allowing us to enjoy AI's benefits without experiencing cognitive decline.

Users can choose between different flagship models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.

Please check it out and tell me what you think. All feedback is welcome.