Creating an LLM Agent for Books
When AI Meets Family Legacy: A New Way to Interface with Investment Literature
In an era where ChatGPT makes headlines and generative AI seems to be everywhere, traditional books might appear antiquated. Yet, there’s something powerful about the permanence of printed wisdom—especially when it captures pivotal moments in financial history and personal (and humbling) revelation. I recently had the unique opportunity to create an AI interface for my father’s book, “The Hidden Power of Rising Dividends,” and the experience revealed something fascinating about the intersection of traditional publishing and modern technology.
The Story Behind the Book
The narrative begins on Black Monday—October 19, 1987. As markets worldwide spiraled downward, my father, Greg Donaldson, watched his clients’ portfolios hemorrhage value. What could have been a career-ending catastrophe instead became a moment of profound insight, triggered by three unexpected phone calls that would reshape his entire approach to investment valuation.
I realize I’m a biased source of information here, but the resulting book isn’t just another investment manual. It’s a deeply personal journey that weaves together market wisdom, faith, and the raw challenges of building a trustworthy financial practice during times of extreme market volatility. For those interested in the full story, please find the book here.
Bridging Generations Through Technology
I worked a short while in investment management, but my true calling was in data science (before there was a proper name for it), and large language models (before there was a proper name for it). Using the hal9 framework, I’ve created something unique: an AI agent that is based on my father’s investment philosophy and can engage in detailed discussions about the book’s concepts. This isn’t just another large language model trained on internet data—it’s a specialized interface to a specific body of knowledge of my choosing, maintaining the integrity of the original work while making it interactively accessible.
Why This Matters
In our fast-paced digital age, we often sacrifice depth for breadth. While general-purpose AI models can speak broadly about many topics, there’s immense value in systems that deeply understand specific, well-vetted sources. This approach creates a more reliable foundation for learning and discussion, especially in fields like investment where accuracy and context are crucial.
Try the Rising Income Bot Yourself
Below this paragraph, you’ll find an interactive interface where you can ask questions about the book’s concepts and investment philosophies for rising income strategies. While this Rising Income AI agent can provide detailed information about the book’s content and concepts, please note that it cannot and should not provide personalized financial advice. All interactions should be considered educational in nature and not as recommendations for specific investment strategies.
The AI interface provided is for educational and informational purposes only. Neither the AI system nor its responses constitute financial advice, and users should not rely on this system for making investment decisions. All investment strategies involve risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Please consult with qualified financial professionals for personalized investment advice tailored to your specific situation.
Please be patient with the bot. It is running free on commodity hardware, and as such, isn’t tuned for performance.
Looking Forward
This project represents more than just a technological experiment—it’s a bridge between traditional investment wisdom and modern accessibility. While the underlying technology (running on hardware comparable to a PS5 Pro) is impressive, what truly matters is how it helps preserve and transmit valuable knowledge across generations.
The future of financial education might just lie in this blend of time-tested wisdom and cutting-edge technology. By creating focused AI interfaces for specific, high-quality sources, we can maintain the depth and nuance of traditional literature while making it more accessible and interactive for modern learners.
© Copyright 2024 Justin Donaldson. Except where otherwise noted, all rights reserved. The views and opinions on this website are my own and do not represent my current or former employers.