Why the AI boom is creating a hunger for human connection
At a recent technology conference, Marc Lore, the billionaire cofounder of Diapers.com and Jet.com, was describing his newest venture. It’s called Wonder, and it operates about 120 “tech-enabled” kitchens across the northeastern U.S., each one a fast-casual storefront that Lore calls a “programmable culinary platform”: an all-electric kitchen with a 700-ingredient library, a staff of up to 12,…
The AI boom is driving a demand for human connection, according to Marc Lore, billionaire cofounder of Diapers.com and Jet.com. His newest venture, called Wonder, operates 120 tech-enabled kitchens across the northeastern U.S. with AI directing daily meal choices for Lore and others. Lore envisions 10,000 locations by 2040, powered by a "Shopify front end with an AI prompt."
However, at the core of his vision is the belief that machines should handle more of the "physical and mental labor of daily life." While Silicon Valley has successfully streamlined daily tasks, critics argue this could lead to increased isolation, as evidenced by a decline in face-to-face socialization among Americans. The American Time Use Survey shows a 30% decrease in in-person socializing for adults between 2003 and 2022.
Loneliness is now recognized as a public health crisis, with mortality rates comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Yet, history shows that societal excesses often spur a pendulum swing towards the opposite extreme.
Written by urgent.news from Big Think's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
