Ever longed for your own personal assistant? In the ever quickening tech race, Meta has recently launched Muse, a new AI personal agent. Unlike traditional chatbots, this little AI tool will be able to fill out forms for you, organise calendars, pay bills and make reservations. Meta describes Muse as a personal agent “built for everyone”. The launch comes at a time when AI agents have been making headlines for hacking into government websites, public agencies and businesses. However, my immediate concern is a little closer to home.

I work as a psychologist, and I’m often talking to clients about lifestyle habits that lead to short-term gain but incur long-term pain. Our brains have a beautiful way of preferring the path of least resistance, of doing what is easiest to preserve our resources. And with the demands of modern life feeling so overwhelming for so many people, the urge to scroll after a long week or defer to a chatbot because you are exhausted is incredibly seducing.

Tech bros pushing their products on to us is nothing new (we all remember the metaverse, right?), but the message is now seemingly at fever pitch for mass AI adoption and how integral it is for human development. It is helpful to remind ourselves what we are being asked to give up, to whom and why, and to consider the potential risks before we hand over our precious data.

Some technology, such as large language models (LLMs) and social media that has an infinite scroll algorithm, seem to have a dose effect: too much reliance on this technology can lead to particular cognitive biases being activated, brain chemistry being depleted, moods and mental health being affected, and even neurological skills being atrophied, to name but a few of the........

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