What Happens When A.I. Becomes a Part of Everything?
“I, Joanna Stern, do solemnly swear to live with the machines for the next 365 days.” Thus begins the year-long experiment chronicled in Stern’s book, “I Am Not a Robot,” a romp through the landscape of applied artificial intelligence, published this month. Early in 2025, Stern, a former technology reporter for the Wall Street Journal, decided to “cram artificial intelligence into as many corners” of her life as possible. In the course of a year, she used more than a hundred A.I.-based products, including glasses, bracelets, cars, robots, and a toothbrush. She talked with an A.I. therapist; replaced her research assistant with an A.I. agent; opened her marriage to an A.I. boyfriend; and let an A.I. draft bedtime stories for her kids. The project was, she writes, “an honest attempt to see what happens when AI and intelligent machines become part of everything.” Smartphones have done it; A.I. is next.
TL;DR
- Joanna Stern lived with AI for a year, using over 100 AI-based products in an experiment chronicled in her book "I Am Not a Robot."
- Stern's experiment involved integrating AI into personal relationships, work, and everyday tasks, highlighting both helpfulness and unintended consequences.
- The article explores the personal cost of AI, including potential self-sabotage, loss of enjoyable tasks, and questions about the authenticity of AI-assisted creations.
- It emphasizes that AI is not a one-size-fits-all technology, and its utility and value vary greatly depending on individual goals, contexts, and competencies.
- The piece discusses the mixed reactions to AI, from skepticism to enthusiastic adoption, and suggests a conscious, considered approach to its integration.
- The Pope's encyclical on AI is mentioned as an indicator that AI is here to stay, prompting a need for careful personal evaluation of its use.