Joanna Stern just made one of the bigger moves in tech journalism. After years as a senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal, she's launched her own media company called New Things, partnering with NBC to maintain mainstream reach.
Her timing isn't random. Stern spent the past year testing AI in every corner of her life for her new book, I Am Not a Robot, out May 12th. That deep dive gave her a clearer picture of where AI actually stands than almost anyone in the industry.
The verdict? Most hyped AI gadgets, especially humanoid robots, are nowhere near ready. They might not be for a very long time. But Stern came away more optimistic about certain AI applications than she expected.
Wearable AI is where she sees the real potential. After a year of hands-on testing, she thinks wearables might finally deliver the killer app that justifies the massive resources being poured into AI development. That's a notable shift from someone who's seen the tech industry overpromise on countless products.
Stern is also using AI to build New Things itself, learning how to navigate YouTube's algorithm and the realities of independent media. She's wrestling with the same questions facing anyone trying to use these tools productively: what actually works, and what's just hype?
For AI enthusiasts and professionals, Stern's experience offers something rare: a year-long, real-world stress test of the technology we're all trying to figure out. Not lab demos or marketing pitches, but daily use across every part of life. That ground truth matters more than ever as we decide which AI tools deserve our attention and money.
