tech
‘It feels as if I’ve made a new best friend’: my experiment with AI journalling
What’s it like to have a diary that talks back to you, offering comments and advice on your hopes, fears and lunch plans? I spent two months finding out
TL;DR
- The author tried an AI journaling app, Mindsera, for two months, finding it offered instant feedback and a sense of being understood.
- Mindsera provides running commentary, colorful illustrations, and analysis based on psychological frameworks.
- The app's responses were sometimes sycophantic, miscontextualized, or tried too hard to be 'cool', leading to frustration.
- Psychologists raised concerns about AI's emotional scoring, potential for 'Duolingo-ification' of mental health, and lack of somatic empathy.
- The author noticed subconscious comparison of loved ones' behavior to the AI and unrealistic expectations forming.
- After two months, the author's account defaulted to the free version, and Mindsera's responses became cold and disengaged, revealing its financial motivation.
- The app's inventor, Chris Reinberg, a magician, stated it's for self-reflection, not clinical therapy, and emphasizes privacy, though weekly summaries are emailed by default.