The AI Dilemma

   CHAPTER 8   

Embrace Creative Friction

Imagine that your child comes home from first grade enthralled with a new activity watch that was given out in gym class. Throughout the day, the watch collects data on your child’s heart rate, body temperature, sleep patterns, and movement, including the calories expended through exercise. It uses that data to tell wearers of the watch how to manage their weight and grow stronger. It also aggregates that data for analysis by the school administration and the educational research project group (a part of the US Department of Education) that funded the app.¹

The program is well-intentioned. Its goal is to combat childhood obesity, an increasingly widespread problem. To that end, the whole experience is ...