Assistant technology is going mainstream, but does it actually assist? When I order pizza and ice-cream to cope with a breakup the digital aide does not pick up on the cues, like a normal friend would. While competent in bringing home dinner and keeping me on schedule the morning after, it fails to comprehend that pizza and ice-cream are a remedy for coping with grief. I’m daydreaming about the time when this digital aide talks me out of bad habits by suggesting a salad takeout. Or even more outrageously, a time when it talks confidence back into a broken heart. Imagine a future where each individual has their family, friends, and a digital assistant on their “personal board of directors”.

The last decade has seen growing interest in self-improvement solutions. From recipes for success to rituals for getting a good night’s sleep, self-help gurus drive home a similar message: analyze, strategize and consistently stick to the plan. But when life flows its course it can get a bit more difficult to stop, run the math, and course correct. We have finally quantified the power of nudges, but we still leave the burden of implementation and execution to the individual. In the workplace we bring data to every question, decision, and action. Could we do better in our personal lives? We don’t have to transition towards a sterile lifestyle but I have a hard time believing many people are big time fans of the phrase “I wish I knew...”. We primarily operate on local optimization principles (I need food now, I need to sleep) yet with a personal assistant we could embrace global optimizations for living the best of our lives. 

Various digital apps try to play the niche role of a personal assistant. But the factory of app-for-superhuman-performance is becoming overwhelming to manage. From makeup to fitness, you can quickly assemble an advisory board of influencers - read well-intended strangers - willing to advise a generic “you”. Who you choose as a mentor comes down to personal preference and how much time you’re willing to spend finding that perfect mentor-mentee virtual match. As a fitness enthusiast, I’ve found that my fitness guru has yet to be born. There’s that sweet spot of HIIT and motivation and inspiration that’s hard to come by. Each influencer has their own style and you can either take it or leave it. But how about adding your finishing touches into the mix? We each fancy having a fitness program that’s personalized to our body type or career advice that resonates with our passions and skills. 

We have come to a point when machines are exceptionally good at sifting through terabytes of data, running simulations, and identifying optimal walks through stock markets, space, or even life. Imagine being confused whether you should go to graduate school or take on a startup job. The traditional way out of this situation would consist of you reaching out to a handful of friends (or the internet) who might have relevant experience. But what happens when you do not have access to someone who can help inform your decisions? Here’s where your AI associate optimized to support your needs and goals can come into play. Your personal AI could gather or infer the data from disjoint sources and run optimizations for happiness & success & health on your behalf. It would empower you to be the CEO of your own life and make an informed decision after being presented with probable outcomes. Even McKinsey would be envious of such efficiencies. 

AI competence needs to be supercharged with a comprehension layer. It will require a cross-functional team of engineers, ethicists, designers, and philosophers to get us there.