Rachel Wynn - Well and Wired

I feel conflicted about AI

I see great potential and risk in using AI. I feel pressure to figure out which side I’m on and join them in yelling about the utopia or dystopia AI will bring. Am I indecisive because I haven’t picked a side? I don’t think so. There’s

Woman smiling and looking at a screen, which the reader cannot see

What are you losing by looking at yourself on video calls?

“Oh god, that’s what I look like when I talk and interact with people?!” “I look at myself too, but it's to make sure my face isn't doing weird things without me knowing…” “I saw myself frowning all the time, I thought, 'f*ck

Someone with their hands on a laptop keyboard while looking at waveform d

Can someone hear that you’re depressed even if you say you’re fine?

You are sitting in the exam room at the doctor’s office when the doctor comes in. “How are you doing?” Your heart starts racing. How are you supposed to respond? What’s the protocol? Are you supposed to say “fine” now and then later share that you’ve been

A open notebook is on a desk on front of a laptop computer.

How I use AI in writing Well and Wired

Writing has never just been a task for me. It’s how I connect to others. As a kid, I spread the newspapers that seemed bigger than me out on my floor and pored over each article as a window into the world outside of my small town. As a

People standing while scrolling on their phones. They are not standing facing each other and their faces are not in frame.

Attention is getting noticed in the headlines

* Are smartphones destroying our attention span? Science News Today * How the Attention Economy Is Devouring Gen Z — and the Rest of Us, The New York Times * Is Our Relationship With Tech Turning Life Into One Giant Casino?, VICE * Little videos are cooking our brains, Vox * 'TikTok brain' may

A woman holds a phone while looking at it.

Using AI alongside instead of inside personal relationships

A few days ago, we explored research evaluating the impact of AI mediated communication on personal relationships. If messages written by AI include more emotional support and result in recipients feeling heard, but recipients perceive messages written by AI as less valuable and negatively impact their satisfaction with the relationship,

An image of a text message saying "I understand how daunting it can be to carry the weight of these responsibilities on your shoulders, Taylor". The sender icon is a robot illustration.

Dear Friend, Are you using AI to respond to my texts?

Hey, I just wanted to mention something that’s been on my mind. I’ve noticed that some of your messages seem like they might be written by AI. I totally get the appeal—it can be super helpful—but I really value hearing from you directly. Your thoughts and

A woman looks out the window while putting over the ear headphones on.

Do noise-cancelling headphones cause auditory processing disorder?

How many times have you used headphones or earbuds today? While you were getting ready for work? A podcast on your commute? On video calls for work? An audiobook on a walk? Focus music to get work done? Your favorite playlist at the gym? Facetiming with a friend? Scrolling social