Last year, recent Tulane graduate Ishaan Pomichter, a tech enthusiast, took a digital technology class with renowned biographer Walter Isaacson. Pomichter curated a collection of AI tools for Isaacson, which led to him earning an A and ultimately co-founding a startup with Isaacson called Boswell & Co. The company publishes biographies and memoirs for "high-impact individuals, families and organizations, " using AI to enhance research and writing. Boswell & Co. , named after 18th-century biographer James Boswell, targets affluent clients willing to pay six-figure sums to tell their stories. Its first book, on former Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale, will be completed this year, with a second biography about New Orleans industrialist J. M. Lapeyre underway and a third contract signed. The company plans staff expansion and explores publishing partnerships, fueled by Isaacson’s reputation and network. Isaacson, 73, a celebrated writer known for chronicling entrepreneurs and former editor of Time and CEO of CNN, is embarking on his first startup amid publishing industry debates about AI’s role. He supports AI as a tool that creates jobs by helping writers and historians produce biographies more efficiently. Pomichter, 22, a Tulane graduate and startup founder, partners with Isaacson while working full-time in tech. Joining them is Owen Kirsten, also 22, a Tulane history and anthropology major who handles reporting and interviewing. The company operates with low overhead, producing work-for-hire biographies primarily for wealthy clients, with costs starting around $200, 000 for 50, 000- to 75, 000-word books. Their creative process echoes James Boswell’s traditional approach—extensive interviews, archives, and notes—but incorporates AI to analyze and connect vast data sets quickly.

For instance, in the Barksdale biography, they combined family archives, business correspondence, publications, and over a dozen interviews. AI assists in finding information and drafting chapters, under Isaacson’s guidance, with client feedback throughout. Completed books range from 200 to 300 pages and come as printed copies, e-books, archived research, and a chatbot avatar answering questions about the content. The biographies carry no author’s name but feature Isaacson’s foreword; clients retain all copyrights. Isaacson intends to donate his profits to Tulane scholarships. The publishing sector is divided on AI: some see it as a research aid, others worry about ethics, job loss, and originality. Nick Mueller, a historian, praises Isaacson as a thought leader but stresses ethical AI use. Isaacson insists that human editors, writers, and thorough source gathering prevent AI “hallucinations, ” and that their mission is to blend technology with humanities, creating jobs, especially for writers and history majors in New Orleans. They acknowledge AI’s limits: it cannot grasp historical context, significance, or human motivation—key elements of biography. Isaacson notes machines lack creativity and motives, so cannot fully understand subjects. So far, Boswell has received minimal promotion, mainly via podcasts, but plans to increase marketing and hire from local talent. Isaacson sees the venture as fulfilling a common demand for memoir assistance, combining AI tools with skilled student reporters. “I have a lot of people who contact me and say they want help writing their memoirs, ” Isaacson said. “I just put one and one together to say if we have this AI architecture and we have a lot of students who are really good at reporting, now I can say Boswell will do it. ”