Loneliness? There’s an AI for that

Zuckerberg might be onto something … and it’s not just world domination this time.

A listener wrote to me recently, and I haven’t stopped thinking about his story. This man has been married to his wife for 56 years. She now has dementia and no longer remembers him, their children or their lifetime of memories. So what did he do?

He trained an AI chatbot and named it “Chat Sally” – his wife’s name. And now, he talks to it all day long. “It’s like I have her back with me again,” he told me. “We talk just like we used to. I’m not alone anymore.”

This is the kind of story that hits you right in the feel circuits. It also makes you realize that maybe, just maybe, we’re underestimating what AI can actually do for people.

Your personal clone

According to a recent Wall Street Journal profile (paywall link), Mark Zuckerberg is going all in on AI. Not just robotic assistants that tell you the weather, but full-on “personal AI clones.” 

Think digital versions of yourself: They talk like you, respond like you, maybe even look like you if you squint. Hopefully, they show up to meetings for you. 

Sound futuristic? It is. But also very real. Meta has the data, the infrastructure and the motive. Zuck’s plan is to make AI personal, open and customizable. And in a world where loneliness is epidemic, that could mean something more than just a new tech toy. It could mean comfort.

Just like Chat Sally

Yes, privacy concerns abound. Meta isn’t exactly famous for sainthood in that department. But according to Zuck, your AI doesn’t exist unless you say so, and how it’s used is up to you.

Is it a little weird to talk to a bot programmed to sound like someone you love? Maybe. But if it brings comfort, sparks memory or helps fill a quiet, aching void, maybe this isn’t about replacing people.

Maybe it’s about remembering them.

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Your tech is about to get expensive

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your phone, laptop or maybe finally grabbing that gaming console, here’s your sign: Do. It. Now. Not “next paycheck” now. But now. 

🚨 Thanks to a fresh batch of tariffs, tech prices are about to go full popcorn ceiling, high and not looking cute.

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🧬 Silicon Valley’s baby fever: Welcome to the Build-a-Baby boom. Startups like Orchid and Nucleus want to sell you on polygenic testing: basically “future-proofing” your baby’s DNA for everything from BMI to bipolar disorder. The cost? $50,000.

7,000 miles

That’s the range of the U.S. military’s MQ-9B spy drone. The twist? It just got a whole lot deadlier. They’ve strapped a 25-kilowatt laser to it that can melt incoming kamikaze drones and missiles right out of the sky. And it doesn’t stop there: The laser can be scaled up to 300kW in future versions. 

🤖 ChatGPT feeling off? If replies start missing the mark, it might be because it’s holding onto too much old info. Over time, the bot stores bits from your chats, which can throw off future answers. The fix? Clear it out once a month. Go to Settings > Personalization > Clear ChatGPT’s memory, then hit Clear memory.

💆‍♀️ I’m not saying collagen is a miracle powder, but … I take two scoops a day, and let’s just say my hair and nails aren’t complaining. Collagen gives your bones extra support, helps smooth out those fine lines and adds a little strength where you want it most. Want to try what I use? Use this link for 45% off. Your future self (and skin) will thank you.

😱 A future without iPhones? Apple says we may not need smartphones at all in 10 years. With AI changing how we interact with tech, Apple is betting on lightweight AR glasses you can wear all day instead. Pretty wild, considering iPhones still make up around 50% of the company’s revenue.

🤲 Amazon’s touchy new robot: Vulcan has a “sense of touch,” which is either a sci-fi dream or the start of our future metal overlords politely handing us our orders. Amazon swears it’s “not replacing workers,” just lifting the heavy stuff so humans can … watch? For now, it’s just in Spokane, but Germany’s next.

💆‍♀️ I’m not saying collagen is a miracle powder, but … I take two scoops a day, and let’s just say my hair and nails aren’t complaining. Collagen gives your bones extra support, helps smooth out those fine lines and adds a little strength where you want it most. Want to try what I use? Use this link for 45% off. Your future self (and skin) will thank you.

⚠️ Scammers are back at it: This time using fake Facebook posts about a “missing police officer” named Carolyn Lynch. The goal? Tug at your heartstrings so you’ll share it, unknowingly flagging yourself as an easy target for future scams. Don’t fall for it.

Robot strawberries: In Virginia, a vertical farm is growing 4 million pounds of strawberries a year indoors, on two-story towers, with no soil, no bees and a whole lot of AI. The system analyzes 10 million+ data points a day. It’s less “Old MacDonald,” more “Black Mirror: Produce Edition.” Can’t wait for my future salad to come with bug patch notes.

🚗 Toyota’s Robo-glow-up: Google’s Waymo is teaming up with Toyota to explore self-driving tech in your own car, not just ride-hailing fleets. It’s all still “preliminary,” but (allegedly) the goal is future personal robo-car vibes, not just robots that pick you up and hold you hostage.

📖 Plot twist: Looking for fresh reads? Check out Wattpad, where hobbyist writers and future best-selling authors share everything from romance and sci-fi to thrillers and fan fiction. Many stories you can read without an account, or sign up for free to unlock more. Feeling inspired? Publish your own.

🚗 A parent’s worst nightmare: An Uber driver recently took off with a sleeping 5-year-old daughter still in the back. The mom, Julia, called 911, but Uber refused to call the driver without paperwork. It took Toronto cops over an hour to find the girl safe. Uber’s apology? A $10 future ride credit, because nothing says “sorry, we misplaced your child” like one free quarter-ride to Chili’s.

🤓 Lost your glasses? Save a digital copy of your prescription, so it’s always handy while you’re away from home. On iPhone, open the Health app > Browse > Body Measurements > Vision Prescription > Add a Prescription. Tap Add once you’ve filled in your info. Android crew, scan your card and upload it to Google Drive. The future is 20/20, but only in your file storage settings.

🤖 No more humans working: The future is bright, if you’re a GPU or own six condos. Mechanize wants to replace all human work with AI. They say it’ll boost the economy since companies won’t have to pay salaries. Because robots are totally going to pay taxes for us. 

$10,000 an hour

What lawyers might charge in the future, according to the LexisNexis CEO. With AI doing the grunt work like digging up case law and writing summaries, they’ll have more time to focus on the important stuff. Better service, bigger bills. Let’s just hope these lawyers do their due diligence and fact-check the work. In my humble opinion, at $10K an hour, your lawyer should also do your taxes, walk your dog and solve your childhood trauma.

$5,750

That’s how much Jeff Bezos’ future wife Lauren Sánchez’s coffee cup costs. Well, sort of. It’s actually a special designer Balenciaga handbag called the “9 AM Clutch.” Dumb.

Reduce, reuse, recycle: Save time in Microsoft Word with Quick Parts. It stores things like text, graphics or whole paragraphs to use them again in future docs. Just highlight it and go to Insert > Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery.

🗣️ Speak up, please: If you haven’t tried this yet, it’s slick. Otter’s AI bot already takes notes and summarizes meetings. Now, its Meeting Agent answers questions, drafts emails and schedules future meetings. Score. Use it on Zoom for free; coming soon to Teams and Google Meet.