For people who are done letting outside voices — technology, experts, cultural noise — drown out their own. Every issue explores how to reclaim your discernment, your body awareness, and your creative authority across the parts of life that matter most: technology, relationships, wellness, work, and creativity.
When Digital Friends Replace Real Ones
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Have you ever noticed that when you talk to ChatGPT, Claude, or any other large language model, they're always cheerful by default and go out of their way to please you? This behavior is by design. The creators of the chat interfaces where they deploy the AI models WANT you to stay engaged and talking. What about when someone particularly lonely or vulnerable interacts with one of these chat interfaces? The startling truth is that these AI chatbots have no context or awareness for what is appropriate to discuss and with whom. No matter the guardrails that are put in place, they're structurally designed to make the end user satisfied. A recent study showed that 3/4 teenagers in the U.S. have used AI companion apps, which offer customizable digital friends, romantic partners, and emotional confidants. Additionally, some elderly communities have turned towards AI companions to stave off loneliness. I just published an article covering this topic in depth. Read about The Rise of AI Companions here. It's easy to want to point fingers at the AI models and blame AI. But, ultimately, we should we asking what conditions in our society have created an environment of digital over-reliance and lack of human connection? Consciously navigating together, Rachel
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Renaissance Rachel
For people who are done letting outside voices — technology, experts, cultural noise — drown out their own. Every issue explores how to reclaim your discernment, your body awareness, and your creative authority across the parts of life that matter most: technology, relationships, wellness, work, and creativity.
There's a moment that happens for a lot of us before we're fully awake. Before we've had water, before we've looked out the window, before we've noticed how we actually feel. We reach for our phone. I've done it many times. And for a long time I didn't think much of it. It's just what you do. But lately I've been sitting with a question that's hard to shake: what was I doing before that became automatic? What was I reaching toward before I started reaching for a screen? I've been thinking a...
I heard someone say this in a call with writers the other day. It's understandable to be resentful of large language models (LLMs) when you're a writer and see the market flood with AI generated content. It can feel discouraging. Especially when you take pride in your craft as a writer. I totally get it. However, the stance "anti-AI, pro-human" gives me pause. For one thing, are you sure you're anti-AI? Do you use Google to search information? Do you check the weather? Do you use Netflix or...
I've spent years watching people interact with technology they didn't fully understand. Not judging them. Studying them. I’m a user experience (UX) researcher and I make my living studying how our users interact with our products and translate that information to the team so they can make actionable decisions. I observe research participants navigate screens that my team created and talk through their confusion out loud. In the process, they reveal exactly what works and what doesn't. My job...