Exploring the quiet but steady rise of AI — and how it might shape our lives and the futures of those we love.
We’ve all heard the hype about AI and the so-called impending tipping point – the moment it supposedly rivals us, outpaces us, or god forbid, even replaces us.
Meanwhile, whilst we’re all sweating and looking over our shoulders, AI keeps creeping, unchecked into our homes, classrooms, daily habits, even our family WhatsApp groups. Bit by bit, one small shift at a time, AI is incrementally, and profoundly shaping our world.
That’s what The Future is Personal is about.
I’m Alison—a single mother. I’ve spent most of my life working in the arts, not tech. But when I realised AI was quietly reconfiguring the world my daughter will grow up in, I changed direction. I went back to study Philosophy and AI to better understand the changes unfolding—and what they might mean for all of us.
This space is where I explore the slow, subtle shifts happening all around us, and try to understand not just what AI does, but what it actually means. These are my personal reflections, and they feed into the wider work I’m launching at The Heart of AI.
I founded The Heart of AI—a non-profit platform hosting screenings, interviews, and events—to open up the conversation between those building AI and those living with its effects. Because if AI is shaping the future, then the conversation should clearly include us all.
Why Subscribe?
Because the AI debate is a mess. The public conversation—such as it is—hovers somewhere between breathless hype and existential panic.
Where’s the space for real, grounded discussion?
That’s what I’m trying to create.
This isn’t a tech newsletter. It’s not about industry trends or product updates, there’s enough of that out there already. It’s an exploration of what is happening, (or might happen), when a technology that never sleeps collides with our messy, complicated, human world.
I aim to post around once a week - sometimes a quick thought on an AI story, sometimes a deeper reflection on AI’s implications. I’ll invite you to weigh in on The Weekly Poll, and will be sharing video interviews, Vox Pops, and other multimedia content as the channels build (and I strengthen my editing skills!).
I do hope you’ll consider subscribing to this Substack - not just to read, but to be part of this conversation. And if you enjoy the content and are able, please consider a paid subscription—either for yourself or as a gift—it would have a much larger impact than perhaps you may imagine and would help me keep focusing on this work.
Thank you so much!
With gratitude,
Alison
