The journalist and author of “I Am Not a Robot” on her year living with AI and starting a new media company.
My guest today is longtime friend Joanna Stern. You know Joanna: she’s the former senior personal technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, once a guest host on Decoder, one of the co-founders of The Verge, and one of my closest friends.
I mention that because Joanna recently left her position at The Journal to start a media company called New Things. She’s kicking off with a book about AI, “I Am Not a Robot”, which releases this week on May 12th.
We’ve discussed her move to independence for a long time—it’s been her ambition, and she has many reasons for doing it now. Her new venture partners with NBC, allowing her to stay in front of a big audience.
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I wanted Joanna to know I read her book, which is excellent. She spent a year integrating AI into her life, giving her deep insights into the technology’s current state. As Joanna explains, many AI-powered gadgets—especially humanoid robots—are not ready for mainstream use, and they may not be for a long time.
However, Joanna is optimistic about some AI types after her experience writing the book. She believes wearable AI might be the next significant breakthrough, offering a compelling reason to justify the trade-offs in developing this technology.
Joanna uses AI to launch her new media company, and we discussed her experiences now that she’s left traditional media and focuses more on YouTube’s algorithm.
This conversation is as close to our regular dinners as it could get.
Okay: Joanna Stern, author of “I Am Not a Robot” and founder of New Things. Here we go.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Joanna Stern, you’re the founder and chief everything officer of New Things. You’re also a former columnist for The Wall Street Journal, but more importantly, a co-founder of The Verge and one of my closest friends. Welcome back to Decoder.
It feels great to be here on Decoder and not subbing in for you.
[Laughs] You were also a guest host on this show for a while. This is probably the most conflicted episode of Decoder we’ve done, but I’m excited. I’ll make it challenging for you, trying to find the dark heart of New Things.
I’ll make it tough on you because I’ve been a host here.
[Laughs] That’s true.
We’ll figure out whose show this is. I know behind you it says “Nilay Patel”, but we’ll see.
We’ll get AI to change it in real-time to “Joanna Stern.” Has anyone heard a podcast with two hosts? It’ll be amazing.
You’ve got a new book out. It’s called “I’m Not a Robot.” You spent a year using AI for everything, arranged by seasons, featuring your kids. It’s excellent and funny, launching on May 12th. A preorder link will be in the show notes. You also started New Things, your media company. You left The Wall Street Journal and have a YouTube venture. I want to discuss all these aspects.
First, a simple question. You’re one of the influential tech reviewers globally. You spent a year using AI for everything. There’s the book. You can see it.
I’ll do that the entire show.
Here’s my theory. Consumer AI products aren’t excellent. I believe the frustration we hear about AI reflects this. You’ve tried all products, the expensive ones, cutting-edge ones. You just had a robot step on your foot. Where do you think we are? Are these products ready for consumers?
I think they can be great. I know you feel differently, but I think they can be great. I’ll toss the question back at you. Do people in your life, outside the tech bubble, use AI?
It’s foisted upon them. If you open Google, you receive AI Overviews, which is okay. Google responded to ChatGPT’s threat.
If you open the free ChatGPT version, you’re pushed engagement prompts. Everyone is having these experiences. They’re using them, but I don’t—
AI is pushed on them.
The experiences pushed on people seem mediocre. They open Instagram feeds, and there’s slop. No one’s rushing to buy an iPhone, if you get me. That was something people chose because they were excited. We both lived through that together as colleagues. I’m looking at these products, and I’m saying, “They aren’t exceptional.”
I agree that they haven’t become great in three to four years since ChatGPT’s release. For those using ChatGPT or a similar chatbot, has it gotten better as a product in four years? Consumers are