I don't need an AI agent to be an executive assistant. I need it to be a wife.
The author argues that current AI agents are being designed as executive assistants rather than the 'AI wife' she desires, which would anticipate needs rather than just execute tasks. This highlights a gendered critique of how technology is being developed to manage the 'mental load' of household management.
Why it matters
It critiques the design philosophy of AI developers, suggesting that current tools fail to address the specific, ongoing cognitive labor often performed by women.
Mikhail Seleznev/Getty Images I want an AI agent like Muse to be able to anticipate my needs and not need to tell it every step. Not an executive assistant, but … an AI "wife." A tweet with the same sentiment has gone viral. I talked to the woman who wrote it. A while ago, I was chatting with a friend, venting about some of the stresses of being a working mother, the feeling of spinning plates with something always dropping. "What I want is a wife ," my friend said. I remember laughing out loud, because it so perfectly captured our frustrations. We both have dutiful, egalitarian husbands who go above and beyond to do their share of the housework and childcare. But still, they're not a wife .
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