AI execs may be too out of touch to build for the general public
News Source
β’Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:53:52 +0000
π° What Happened
Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is getting criticized for how she described using AI. She was talking about her new app Dazzle, which learns from your camera roll. She said it helped her write three bullet points about her 10-year-old daughter for a school birthday presentation.
Critics said the points were vague and could describe almost any child. Activist Leah Greenberg said Mayer sharing this with a reporter showed how far Silicon Valley has drifted from everyone else. Mayer later said she was testing the app, not relying on it to understand her child.
She also said the app could plan a playdate, pick Halloween costumes and even talk to her husband's AI assistant. Asked if that future felt sad, she said she had not really thought it through.
π The Backstory
This is not the first time a tech leader has said something like this. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on TV that he could not imagine raising a newborn without ChatGPT. Mark Zuckerberg has said people want more friends than they have and that AI companions will become normal.
A Pew Research Center study found that half of U.S. adults think AI will make it harder to form meaningful relationships. Only 5% said it would make them easier.
TechCrunch argues the problem is a culture that values speed in everything. Relationships are messy and slow, and treating them like a product to ship misses what makes them worth having.
π― Why It Matters
The people building AI decide what it is for. If they think AI should handle family life, the products will push that. You get a say by choosing what you actually use.
Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is getting criticized for how she described using AI. She was talking about her new app Dazzle, which learns from your camera roll. She said it helped her write three bullet points about her 10-year-old daughter for a school birthday presentation.
Critics said the points were vague and could describe almost any child. Activist Leah Greenberg said Mayer sharing this with a reporter showed how far Silicon Valley has drifted from everyone else. Mayer later said she was testing the app, not relying on it to understand her child.
She also said the app could plan a playdate, pick Halloween costumes and even talk to her husband's AI assistant. Asked if that future felt sad, she said she had not really thought it through.
This is not the first time a tech leader has said something like this. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on TV that he could not imagine raising a newborn without ChatGPT. Mark Zuckerberg has said people want more friends than they have and that AI companions will become normal.
A Pew Research Center study found that half of U.S. adults think AI will make it harder to form meaningful relationships. Only 5% said it would make them easier.
TechCrunch argues the problem is a culture that values speed in everything. Relationships are messy and slow, and treating them like a product to ship misses what makes them worth having.
The people building AI decide what it is for. If they think AI should handle family life, the products will push that. You get a say by choosing what you actually use.