It’s not even the use of AI that is particularly galling in the story. Because, ok, you’re an indifferent, stupid mom who has no idea how to derive enjoyment even from something so basic as motherhood. It’s the need to publicize your personal flaws as evidence that you are not too old and can embrace every new technology.
By the way, Klara had a similar assignment at school where she had to find one word that would describe her perfectly. We looked for a word for a while until she finally settled on the word “helpful.” She said it made her happy to think of herself that way. What’s really fascinating is that back when she was an infant, my psychoanalyst told me that she was going to be heavily into visual art and being helpful to others. He said painting, sculpture, and works of charity are going to be her thing. I asked why, and he said, “Just wait and see. I’m telling you, this is her future.”
And guess what? These are the things she’s really into.
My colleague’s kid is heavily into ornithology. Everybody in the family is shocked because it seems so random. None of them could distinguish one bird from another, and the kid has been planning to do a PhD in ornithology since age 7. I would love to know if his psychoanalyst could have predicted this, in case he had one.
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