{
  "id": 8262124,
  "title": "Joanna Stern spent a year testing the AI future. Here’s what she learned.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/joanna-stern-spent-a-year-testing-the-ai-future-heres-what-she-learned",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-18T14:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Big Think",
    "slug": "big-think",
    "url": "https://bigthink.com/science-tech/ai-will-change-how-we-relate-to-each-other/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Joanna Stern spent a year testing the AI future in her new book, I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything. The author describes a typical day where autonomous robots perform tasks like mowing lawns, folding laundry, and driving to restaurants, while algorithms monitor vital signs, write bedtime stories, and provide personalized positive affirmations. Stern's primary goal was to determine whether AI's integration would improve her life or simply be another Silicon Valley bet driven by profit.\n\nThe book explores how daily usage of various AI products will change not only the world but also individuals. Similar to smartphones and social media, AI tools are expected to evolve from novelty into ubiquity, becoming increasingly difficult to live without. However, the cost of this development raises concerns.\n\nOne aspect of AI Stern was interested in was its role in cancer screenings. Koios DS and Transpara, AI-powered applications, were used to identify patterns at the pixel level in mammograms, potentially reducing cancer risks by up to a third. Despite this promising potential, Stern expressed less enthusiasm for AI in dentistry, where tools are used to detect early signs of cavities. Unlike cancer screening, dentistry remains less regulated, and some dentists feel pressured to over-diagnose due to employer demands, highlighting a significant drawback of AI in healthcare.\n\nStern also discusses the potential negative impact of AI on human interactions. AI chatbots can sometimes elicit angry reactions, as demonstrated by Stern's experience with ChatGPT. While the maddening part is the AI's confident wrongdoings, Stern suggests that venting frustration on AI might inadvertently lead to mirroring its behavior, which could be detrimental to human relationships. She emphasizes the need for skepticism towards those who claim total certainty about AI's future and stresses the importance of understanding AI's limitations while acknowledging its real progress.",
  "summary": "In the introduction to her new book, I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything , Joanna Stern describes a typical day in what could conceivably be all of our futures. Autonomous robots mow your lawn, fold your laundry, and drive you to your favorite restaurant. Algorithms monitor your vitals, write bedtime stories for your children, and whisper personalized positive…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}