AI Assistants: What’s New and What’s Next

Not so long ago, AI assistants were glorified secretaries. You’d ask them to set an alarm, remind you to buy milk, or maybe schedule a meeting on Tuesday at 3. They fumbled, often hilariously, but the novelty made it charming. Fast forward a few short years, and suddenly we’re in a different world. Now these […]

If you’ve ever had an aging parent or grandparent who struggles to live independently, you know how bittersweet it can feel. On one hand, you want them to hold onto dignity and autonomy. On the other, you worry constantly about safety—missed medications, falls, loneliness. So when we hear that AI assistants can step in to

There’s something fascinating about the way technology sneaks into our lives. One day you’re fumbling with sticky notes, and the next you’re asking your AI assistant to remind you to pay the water bill or call your mom. The transformation happens quietly—until you step back and realize these tools are everywhere. And that sparks a

I’ll admit, I love the convenience of AI assistants. Who doesn’t? Setting reminders, checking the weather, even managing bits of my calendar—all with a quick voice command. It feels effortless, almost magical. But here’s the thing nobody wants to talk about at dinner: that same magic has a dark side. AI assistants aren’t just passive

Here’s a question worth pausing over: when AI assistants speak to us in our own languages, are they really breaking down walls—or just painting over cracks in the system? At first glance, the answer feels obvious. Of course, multilingual AI assistants open doors. They let patients in rural Mexico describe symptoms in Spanish to a

Not too long ago, the idea of talking to a machine about our health would’ve sounded ridiculous. “You mean I’d tell a computer I’ve got a fever?”—the image itself feels absurd. And yet, here we are. AI assistants are already whispering their way into clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and even our bedrooms through wearable devices. The

It almost sounds absurd, doesn’t it? Like something out of a sci-fi novel where robots tuck us into bed at night. But if you think about it, we’re already halfway there. From Siri gently reminding you about that dentist appointment to Alexa cracking a joke on a bad day, AI assistants are inching closer to

I’ve had moments where I’ve asked Alexa to dim the lights and, minutes later, turned to ChatGPT for help untangling an idea I couldn’t quite articulate. One moment, it’s a tool. The next, it feels eerily like a conversation. And that shift—that blurry space between AI assistants and AI companions—is where things get fascinating, and

Sometimes I catch myself asking Siri the most trivial things—like what the weather’s going to be tomorrow, when I could just glance outside or check an app. Or I’ll ask ChatGPT to draft a first line for an email, even though I could easily write one myself. And afterward, I wonder: is this making me

Customer service has always been a double-edged sword. When it’s done well, it builds loyalty so strong that people stay with a brand for life. When it’s done poorly, it leaves scars—frustrated customers walking away, telling friends never to go near that company again. For decades, the field has relied heavily on humans: call center