For one week, I surrendered my decision-making entirely to artificial intelligence to see how well it could function as a life coach and journalist. Initially, I scoffed at the idea—everything I’d written was entirely human-made. Yet, as AI became more intrusive—popping up in Gmail to summarize messages and on Instagram when I searched for friends—it was impossible to ignore its constant presence.
Determined to explore this new world, I downloaded several apps: ChatGPT for writing and scheduling, ChefGPT for meal planning, Fitbod for fitness guidance, and Whering for wardrobe ideas. On Monday, I tasked ChatGPT with organizing my week. It neatly divided my day into hour-long segments for work, exercise, and breaks. However, my work flow does not operate in such rigid time slots; once immersed in writing or research, I need uninterrupted focus. After explaining this, ChatGPT tried again but still clashed with my scheduled meetings and interviews.
I then asked it to generate interview questions using the subject’s bio. It delivered ten decent questions, complete with research links, proving its potential as a journalist. Yet when pressed for story ideas, it offered generic topics that rarely resonated with my style. Throughout the day, I also relied on AI to name new columns and draft emails—efforts that ultimately required significant human editing.
Beyond work, I explored AI’s potential as a life coach. ChefGPT planned meals from my limited pantry list, while Whering generated unexpected outfit combinations. Some choices felt oddly freeing; others were too unconventional. Even as friends teased my new “boho” style and AI-generated advice, the experiment revealed that, for now, AI remains a useful assistant rather than a replacement for human intuition and creativity. Ultimately, I resumed writing myself—realizing that no machine can fully capture the nuance of human thought and experience.
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