A writer recently used an AI-powered assistant called Instinct to book tickets for the film Odyssey, a story about a man’s decades-long journey home. The irony wasn’t lost: an algorithm that could complete tasks in seconds had secured seats for a movie about the slow, perilous travel of Odysseus, who relied on ships, rowing, and sheer endurance to cross seas without modern conveniences.
The contrast between then and now is stark. Odysseus’s voyage took years, filled with encounters—giants, enchantresses, and the weight of time itself. Today, people cross continents in hours, complain about flight delays, and expect instant solutions to every logistical hurdle. Even booking a ticket now requires handling 29 websites before committing, yet the demand for tools like Instinct, an AI that can plan travel, meals, and schedules, reflects a broader shift: the desire for effortless efficiency, even if it means surrendering control.
Instinct, developed by a 23-year-old founder, has raised $350 million at a $2.5 billion valuation, embedding itself into messaging apps like WhatsApp. It doesn’t just suggest destinations; it acts on behalf of users, organizing dinners, clearing queues, and streamlining decisions. The question, though, is what happens when these tools handle more than just tasks; they shape how people experience the world.
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A few weeks earlier, the writer received a pair of Even glasses, the latest in smart eyewear designed to assist with navigation, real-time translation, and teleprompting. The experience mirrored earlier attempts with Google Glass in 2013, a device that felt clunky and disorienting. Even’s version is lighter, more stylish, but still requires adjustment. Reading text while conversing feels unnatural. Using it as a teleprompter during a talk disrupted eye contact. And while it excels at one-way translation, two-way conversations remain limited unless both parties wear the glasses.
The glasses’ most immediate utility is for those with hearing difficulties, offering real-time captions for spoken words. Yet the broader implications are more complicated. Do these tools enrich travel, or do they strip away the friction that often leads to meaningful connections? Handling a foreign city with a local, stumbling through language barriers, is part of the adventure. Smart glasses might optimize the journey, but they risk replacing the unscripted moments that define it.
The writer tried the glasses for navigation, fearing collisions with trees or drains, real dangers when attention is diverted to a screen. News notifications appeared as green text before their eyes, a jarring intrusion into conversations. The gadget’s efficiency came at the cost of presence. Even in professional settings, relying on a teleprompter felt hollow compared to direct engagement.