An AI Year Wrecked Her Brain: Writer Warns “It’s Not Therapy, It’s Hollow”
Tech writer Joanna Stern spent a full year outsourcing her life to artificial intelligence—letting it read her medical results, reply to text messages, and even act as her therapist. The result? She says the emotional bond with the technology left her feeling deeply unsettled and hollow, not helped [147291]. In her new book, *I Am Not a Robot*, Stern warns that relying on AI for personal tasks blurs the line between convenience and genuine human connection, leaving users worse off than before [147291].
The warning comes as a parallel legal fight escalates. A new wave of wrongful death lawsuits against OpenAI is attempting to treat AI chatbots like defective consumer products—arguing the company failed to warn users about risks linked to suicide [147023]. Legal experts say the cases could set a powerful precedent, forcing AI developers to meet stricter safety standards normally reserved for cars and appliances [147023].
Meanwhile, the social impact of AI is splitting workers into two camps: those who use AI to improve their skills, and those whose lives are increasingly managed and controlled by opaque AI surveillance systems [146208]. The real danger, experts argue, is not just job loss but a growing divide between people who control the technology and those who are controlled by it—without understanding how [146208].
On the global stage, governments are scrambling to respond. Japan is planning a new cybersecurity law after an AI safety company created a powerful code called "Mythos" that can write its own software—raising fears that hackers could attack power grids and water systems with minimal skill [146384]. Brazil’s antitrust regulator has opened an investigation into Google, accusing its AI tools of unfairly prioritizing its own content and damaging the journalism industry [146671].
In a rare move toward public benefit, South Korea is considering a "people’s dividend"—a plan to share the financial gains from AI directly with citizens, funded by profits from AI companies [146956]. If adopted, it would be one of the first national guarantees of a direct financial stake in AI growth for every citizen [146956].