What this working mom wants from AI

The New York Times profile of Marissa Mayer's new AI assistant, Dazzle, led with a glow-in-the-dark pool party and a Halloween costume shaped like a frosted layer cake. The backlash said what women want from AI is generational wealth, venture funding and better women's health, not party planning. I agree with the critics about the framing. Where I don't agree is the conclusion some people drew: that wanting AI for your home life is unambitious, or something a professional woman should keep to herself.

I build with AI every day, for my own business and for my clients, and I've taught close to 100 people to build their own AI operating system. Over 90% of them are women. And one of the most valuable things AI has done for me this year has been at home.

The mental load in my house runs from meal plans and the school calendar to sick days, my son's passport and our residency paperwork in Portugal. Shortly after my son was born, I stepped down as CEO of a global digital health organization because I couldn't carry the job and my family at the same time. My personal operating system now keeps track of all of it and does the planning, so my partner or I can take each action ourselves.

I don't find it depressing to hand AI part of a birthday. Mine knows who matters to me and how I like to give: local shops, experiences over toys. It brings me four to six options and I choose the one that means the most. What I give now is far more thoughtful than a last-minute Amazon order.