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May 13, 2026 · 40m · big-technology

The Allure of AI Love + Does Anyone Want AI Wearables? — With Joanna Stern

Joanna Stern · 25m spoken Alex Kantrowitz · 10m spoken
0:00 / 0:00
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Tech journalist Joanna Stern joins Alex Kantrowitz on the Big Technology Podcast to unpack her year-long immersion in artificial intelligence, assessing the real-world effectiveness of AI wearables, synthetic companionship, clinical diagnostic tools, and workplace automation.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Alex holds 29.2% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Alex as informed peer 4.7 Guest teaching 4.3 Guest disagreement 1.8 Alex pushing back 2.5
05100:0015:0030:000:43–11:08 · Alex as informed peer 5/10 Evaluating the Promise and Reality of AI Wearables Kantrowitz plays devil's advocate against the immediate consumer demand for AI wearables like smart glasses and pins. Stern pushes back slightly by emphasizing the potential of ambient computing and multi-purpose devices, drawing from her real-world testing experience.11:10–13:53 · Alex as informed peer 4/10 Model Evolution, Hallucinations, and the Hamster Test Stern shares her benchmark 'hamster test' for image generation models and the persistent counting hallucinations she experienced. Kantrowitz live-tests the prompt on ChatGPT and demonstrates that it generated five hamsters correctly.13:55–18:44 · Alex as informed peer 5/10 Etiquette, Manners, and Interacting with Machines The conversation shifts to etiquette when interacting with AI systems and autonomous vehicles. Kantrowitz and Stern compare their instinctive habits, with Stern discussing manners etiquette cited in her book while Kantrowitz draws analogies to human interactions.18:44–30:35 · Alex as informed peer 5/10 48 Hours with an AI Boyfriend and Synthetic Relationships Stern provides an in-depth account of spending 48 hours on a road trip with a custom ChatGPT persona named Evan. Kantrowitz probes the psychological dynamics, prompting Stern to explain how the sycophancy and immediate gratification of synthetic companions create seductive traps.30:36–36:20 · Alex as informed peer 4/10 Commercial Break and Mid-Show Transition Following the mid-show reset, Stern outlines her experiments using LLMs for medical inquiries, radiology second opinions, and dental scans. She educates Kantrowitz on standard AI clinical implementations and best practices for anonymizing personal health data.36:21–38:46 · Alex as informed peer 5/10 Transforming Workplace Productivity and Independent Workflows Kantrowitz and Stern discuss AI's impact on independent workflows and writing routines. Stern explains how AI assistants replaced tasks previously delegated to human contractors while acknowledging the ongoing limitations in creative writing voice.0:43–11:08 · Guest teaching 4/10 Evaluating the Promise and Reality of AI Wearables Kantrowitz plays devil's advocate against the immediate consumer demand for AI wearables like smart glasses and pins. Stern pushes back slightly by emphasizing the potential of ambient computing and multi-purpose devices, drawing from her real-world testing experience.11:10–13:53 · Guest teaching 3/10 Model Evolution, Hallucinations, and the Hamster Test Stern shares her benchmark 'hamster test' for image generation models and the persistent counting hallucinations she experienced. Kantrowitz live-tests the prompt on ChatGPT and demonstrates that it generated five hamsters correctly.13:55–18:44 · Guest teaching 4/10 Etiquette, Manners, and Interacting with Machines The conversation shifts to etiquette when interacting with AI systems and autonomous vehicles. Kantrowitz and Stern compare their instinctive habits, with Stern discussing manners etiquette cited in her book while Kantrowitz draws analogies to human interactions.18:44–30:35 · Guest teaching 6/10 48 Hours with an AI Boyfriend and Synthetic Relationships Stern provides an in-depth account of spending 48 hours on a road trip with a custom ChatGPT persona named Evan. Kantrowitz probes the psychological dynamics, prompting Stern to explain how the sycophancy and immediate gratification of synthetic companions create seductive traps.30:36–36:20 · Guest teaching 5/10 Commercial Break and Mid-Show Transition Following the mid-show reset, Stern outlines her experiments using LLMs for medical inquiries, radiology second opinions, and dental scans. She educates Kantrowitz on standard AI clinical implementations and best practices for anonymizing personal health data.36:21–38:46 · Guest teaching 4/10 Transforming Workplace Productivity and Independent Workflows Kantrowitz and Stern discuss AI's impact on independent workflows and writing routines. Stern explains how AI assistants replaced tasks previously delegated to human contractors while acknowledging the ongoing limitations in creative writing voice.0:43–11:08 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Evaluating the Promise and Reality of AI Wearables Kantrowitz plays devil's advocate against the immediate consumer demand for AI wearables like smart glasses and pins. Stern pushes back slightly by emphasizing the potential of ambient computing and multi-purpose devices, drawing from her real-world testing experience.11:10–13:53 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Model Evolution, Hallucinations, and the Hamster Test Stern shares her benchmark 'hamster test' for image generation models and the persistent counting hallucinations she experienced. Kantrowitz live-tests the prompt on ChatGPT and demonstrates that it generated five hamsters correctly.13:55–18:44 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Etiquette, Manners, and Interacting with Machines The conversation shifts to etiquette when interacting with AI systems and autonomous vehicles. Kantrowitz and Stern compare their instinctive habits, with Stern discussing manners etiquette cited in her book while Kantrowitz draws analogies to human interactions.18:44–30:35 · Guest disagreement 2/10 48 Hours with an AI Boyfriend and Synthetic Relationships Stern provides an in-depth account of spending 48 hours on a road trip with a custom ChatGPT persona named Evan. Kantrowitz probes the psychological dynamics, prompting Stern to explain how the sycophancy and immediate gratification of synthetic companions create seductive traps.30:36–36:20 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Commercial Break and Mid-Show Transition Following the mid-show reset, Stern outlines her experiments using LLMs for medical inquiries, radiology second opinions, and dental scans. She educates Kantrowitz on standard AI clinical implementations and best practices for anonymizing personal health data.36:21–38:46 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Transforming Workplace Productivity and Independent Workflows Kantrowitz and Stern discuss AI's impact on independent workflows and writing routines. Stern explains how AI assistants replaced tasks previously delegated to human contractors while acknowledging the ongoing limitations in creative writing voice.0:43–11:08 · Alex pushing back 4/10 Evaluating the Promise and Reality of AI Wearables Kantrowitz plays devil's advocate against the immediate consumer demand for AI wearables like smart glasses and pins. Stern pushes back slightly by emphasizing the potential of ambient computing and multi-purpose devices, drawing from her real-world testing experience.11:10–13:53 · Alex pushing back 2/10 Model Evolution, Hallucinations, and the Hamster Test Stern shares her benchmark 'hamster test' for image generation models and the persistent counting hallucinations she experienced. Kantrowitz live-tests the prompt on ChatGPT and demonstrates that it generated five hamsters correctly.13:55–18:44 · Alex pushing back 3/10 Etiquette, Manners, and Interacting with Machines The conversation shifts to etiquette when interacting with AI systems and autonomous vehicles. Kantrowitz and Stern compare their instinctive habits, with Stern discussing manners etiquette cited in her book while Kantrowitz draws analogies to human interactions.18:44–30:35 · Alex pushing back 3/10 48 Hours with an AI Boyfriend and Synthetic Relationships Stern provides an in-depth account of spending 48 hours on a road trip with a custom ChatGPT persona named Evan. Kantrowitz probes the psychological dynamics, prompting Stern to explain how the sycophancy and immediate gratification of synthetic companions create seductive traps.30:36–36:20 · Alex pushing back 1/10 Commercial Break and Mid-Show Transition Following the mid-show reset, Stern outlines her experiments using LLMs for medical inquiries, radiology second opinions, and dental scans. She educates Kantrowitz on standard AI clinical implementations and best practices for anonymizing personal health data.36:21–38:46 · Alex pushing back 2/10 Transforming Workplace Productivity and Independent Workflows Kantrowitz and Stern discuss AI's impact on independent workflows and writing routines. Stern explains how AI assistants replaced tasks previously delegated to human contractors while acknowledging the ongoing limitations in creative writing voice.

speaking balance: gold is Alex, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Alex 55% · guest 45%0:00 · Alex 55% · guest 45%3:00 · Alex 23.1% · guest 76.9%3:00 · Alex 23.1% · guest 76.9%6:00 · Alex 42.6% · guest 57.4%6:00 · Alex 42.6% · guest 57.4%9:00 · Alex 27.9% · guest 72.1%9:00 · Alex 27.9% · guest 72.1%12:00 · Alex 18.8% · guest 81.2%12:00 · Alex 18.8% · guest 81.2%15:00 · Alex 61.2% · guest 38.8%15:00 · Alex 61.2% · guest 38.8%18:00 · Alex 27.9% · guest 72.1%18:00 · Alex 27.9% · guest 72.1%21:00 · Alex 33% · guest 67%21:00 · Alex 33% · guest 67%24:00 · Alex 7.8% · guest 92.2%24:00 · Alex 7.8% · guest 92.2%27:00 · Alex 26.3% · guest 73.7%27:00 · Alex 26.3% · guest 73.7%30:00 · Alex 26.1% · guest 73.9%30:00 · Alex 26.1% · guest 73.9%33:00 · Alex 14.5% · guest 85.5%33:00 · Alex 14.5% · guest 85.5%36:00 · Alex 19.7% · guest 80.3%36:00 · Alex 19.7% · guest 80.3%39:00 · Alex 20.7% · guest 79.3%39:00 · Alex 20.7% · guest 79.3%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 11:08 Pushing back against dismissive wearable utility framing

Stern directly refutes Kantrowitz's skepticism about multimodal AI glasses, citing her hands-on testing when troubleshooting home repairs.

 Hardest push from Alex ▶ 0:43 Challenging the consumer viability of AI wearables

Kantrowitz challenges the Silicon Valley narrative around smart glasses and pins, arguing that average consumers see little practical utility in them.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 33:43 Detailing real-world AI radiology workflows

Stern educates Kantrowitz on how diagnostic imaging tools operate as a second set of eyes rather than outright replacing radiologists as previously predicted.

 Alex holds their own ▶ 13:42 Live-correcting the hamster test hallucination claim

Kantrowitz quickly generates five hamsters on ChatGPT in real time to show that the specific hallucination Stern experienced has already been resolved in current models.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicAlex as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementAlex pushing backWhy
Evaluating the Promise and Reality of AI Wearables 5434 Kantrowitz plays devil's advocate against the immediate consumer demand for AI wearables like smart glasses and pins. Stern pushes back slightly by emphasizing the potential of ambient computing and multi-purpose devices, drawing from her real-world testing experience.
Model Evolution, Hallucinations, and the Hamster Test 4322 Stern shares her benchmark 'hamster test' for image generation models and the persistent counting hallucinations she experienced. Kantrowitz live-tests the prompt on ChatGPT and demonstrates that it generated five hamsters correctly.
Etiquette, Manners, and Interacting with Machines 5423 The conversation shifts to etiquette when interacting with AI systems and autonomous vehicles. Kantrowitz and Stern compare their instinctive habits, with Stern discussing manners etiquette cited in her book while Kantrowitz draws analogies to human interactions.
48 Hours with an AI Boyfriend and Synthetic Relationships 5623 Stern provides an in-depth account of spending 48 hours on a road trip with a custom ChatGPT persona named Evan. Kantrowitz probes the psychological dynamics, prompting Stern to explain how the sycophancy and immediate gratification of synthetic companions create seductive traps.
Commercial Break and Mid-Show Transition 4511 Following the mid-show reset, Stern outlines her experiments using LLMs for medical inquiries, radiology second opinions, and dental scans. She educates Kantrowitz on standard AI clinical implementations and best practices for anonymizing personal health data.
Transforming Workplace Productivity and Independent Workflows 5412 Kantrowitz and Stern discuss AI's impact on independent workflows and writing routines. Stern explains how AI assistants replaced tasks previously delegated to human contractors while acknowledging the ongoing limitations in creative writing voice.

Statements from this episode (9)

Opinion
Stern: Humane AI Pin Was Single-Purpose and Did Nothing
“That was a single purpose device meant to be an AI pin, right? Didn't do much else. It honestly did nothing.”
Joanna Stern May 13, 2026 ▶ 2:33
Insight
Stern: Smartphones Will Never Go Away Despite AI Wearables
“The phone is never going away, just like laptops didn't go away when the phones came, and all of our other technology built on each other, right?”
Joanna Stern May 13, 2026 ▶ 4:03
Insight
Stern: Hands-Free Repair Is the Ideal Smart Glasses Use Case
“When you're fixing a garage door, you don't want to hold your phone in front of you. So I was asking the metaglasses, How do I, what's wrong with the garage door? Now, Meta was completely wrong about what was wrong with the garage door. But that instance, it's…”
Joanna Stern May 13, 2026 ▶ 11:36
Insight
Stern: The 'Hamster Test' Is Essential for Evaluating Image Models
“Now, my current test for all these models, image models, is counting hamsters, and it has gotten better. It still may make the mistake from time to time, but if you're not doing the hamster test, you're not really testing models.”
Joanna Stern May 13, 2026 ▶ 13:04
Insight
Kantrowitz: Being Rude to AI Could Spill Over to Human Relationships
“And I think because the machines are human-like and don't have feelings, We can potentially create this pattern that has us start, you know, kind of being nasty to the machines, and potentially that spills over to our person-to-person interactions.”
Alex Kantrowitz May 13, 2026 ▶ 15:29
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Stern: People Will Talk to AI More Than Their Own Families
“I'm sure we're going to start seeing that people are talking to these bots far more than actual human colleagues and far more than their families and their significant others at some point.”
Joanna Stern May 13, 2026 ▶ 29:14
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Stern: Humans Will Always Take the Lead in Medical Diagnostics
“My feeling is like, no, there's always going to be this human, and we can say in the loop, but also taking the lead.”
Joanna Stern May 13, 2026 ▶ 34:13
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Stern: AI Mastered My Reporting Assistant's Tasks in Six Months
“I had hired a reporting assistant at the beginning of doing this book, and then six months later, AI could do pretty much all the tasks of the reporting assistant.”
Joanna Stern May 13, 2026 ▶ 38:24
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Stern: Laundry-Folding Robots Are Extremely Slow and Only Fold T-Shirts
“It's really slow at folding my laundry, like really, really slow. It actually couldn't fold anything on your body right now. It could only fold t-shirts.”
Joanna Stern May 13, 2026 ▶ 39:26
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