Should I or should I not use a wearable AI assistant?

Recently, I've been conducting some interviews for a course I'm taking. I needed a way to capture information quickly and accurately, so I started looking into different note-taking options. Unsurprisingly, almost every recommendation involved AI in some form.

I settled on a solution fairly quickly: an AI audio recorder that would automatically generate a transcript after the interview. It allowed me to stay engaged in the conversation while still capturing an accurate record to refer back to later. For those who preferred not to be recorded, I simply relied on my own typing skills.

The interviews went well. And that wasn't the interesting part. The interesting part came afterwards.

In the days following my search, the algorithms quietly did what algorithms do, and my feeds were filled with advertisements for wearable AI assistants.

Memoket. Fieldy. Bee. Omi.

These were way beyond the scope of what I was wanting for my purposes, but the algorithm had obviously extrapolated my wants to introduce me to the next big thing(s). Upon reading about them, I found out that these wearables are small devices that clip onto clothing or hang around your neck, constantly recording conversations, transcribing them, summarising them, reminding you of commitments you've made, and even generating action lists from your day.

Whoa.

The more I thought about them, the more I found myself making a list of reasons for them .... and an equally, if not longer, list of reasons against them.

I'm FOR these tools because:

1. They allow us to be more present.

I like the idea of being 100% present with the person I'm speaking to, without having to worry about taking notes or trying to remember what they've said. Instead of worrying about capturing every detail, I can give my conversation partner my full attention, knowing that I can review the conversation later if need be. For interviews, meetings, and training sessions, that's a genuine advantage.

2. They improve data accuracy.

I know for a fact that my memory is far from perfect. I often leave a meeting convinced someone said one thing, only to discover later that I heard or remembered incorrectly. Having a transcript removes much of the guesswork and gives me something objective to refer back to.

3. They create useful summaries and action items.

One of AI's greatest strengths is converting large amounts of information into something manageable. Instead of re-listening to an hour-long conversation, it can identify the key points, decisions and follow-up tasks in seconds. Used well, that could save a lot of time.

4. They help me remember what matters.

Life tends to be full. And although I have the best intentions, there have been ocassions where I promised to send someone a resource, or follow up on a conversation only to completely forget about it. Having an AI assistant record and remind me of what I've said would help me honour the commitments I've made.

But as much as I'm FOR these wearables, I can also think of a few reasons I would be reluctant to use them widely:

1. It makes me really uneasy to know that I could be recorded without consent. I wouldn't want to do that to anyone else either.

This is probably my biggest concern. I'm comfortable choosing to record an interview when everyone involved has agreed to it. But I'm very uncomfortable with devices that are quietly running in the background, recording every conversation throughout the day. People deserve to be informed and be able to choose whether or not they want to be recorded. I think having these wearables will strip a lot of people of that choice.

2. I end up creating digital clutter.

The move from film cameras to digital photography made taking photos effortless. The result? Thousands of images sitting on my phone and in storage drives that I'll probably never look at again. I wonder if my conversations will become the next version of that. Hours of recordings. Thousands of transcripts. Countless summaries. Not because they're valuable, but simply because I can create them (so better safe than sorry).

3. I might be at risk of becoming less present, not more.

The technology promises greater presence. Not needing to take notes means that I can pay my partner more attention. But it could just as easily produce the opposite. If I know every word is being recorded and summarised, then I can potentially pay less attention.

Listening is a skill. Active listening even more so. Attention is a muscle I have to train if I want to keep it and grow it. And I wonder if having a guaranteed recording will strip me of both.

4. AI - at least at this point in time - still gets things wrong.

Despite how impressive it has become, AI isn't perfect. Yet. It can misunderstand context. It can miss sarcasm. It can hallucinate details that were never said. If I trust the summary more than my own understanding; or if I don't listen (or re-listen) to the original conversation in its original context, I might create problems that never existed in the first place.

5. I stop using my brain. This one makes me extremely wary.

As much as I love my AI-generated summaries, I'm aware that by asking my tools to do that, I'm asking it to do a large part of the work for me. Identifying recurring themes, writing summaries, drawing conclusions .... these are all activities that require brain power and thought. Writing a summary requires deciding what's important and prioritizing. Reviewing notes is a process that helps me consolidate what I heard. Drawing conclusions help me learn how to be concise and clear.

Doing all these things - that I can now outsource to AI - is the exact process that helps me learn. So if I always outsource this, it shouldn't be any surprise to me that AI is getting smarter while I'm becoming dumber and lazier!

6. Relationships often require selective forgetting. In fact, I'd say that selective forgetfulness is essential for healthy relationships.
Not every awkward comment, poorly chosen word, or emotional reaction needs to be permanently archived. Healthy relationships often depend on grace, giving people room to misspeak, apologise, and move on. I know by the times I have failed to bite my tongue that I am in severe need of that mercy! Having everything recorded risks preserving moments that wisdom would have simply let fade .... and I'm very certain that's not the way we were created to be. Our brains were designed to keep store some important things in our long term memory. Not everything.

So where do I stand?

For me, balance is key. I don't think AI is bad at all. I believe that the technology is very useful when harnessed wisely. But simultaneously, I don't believe in embracing every new gadget that appears.

I think there's a difference between using technology as a supportive tool vs using it as a replacement.

At present, I'll happily use an audio recorder and transcript generator when accuracy genuinely matters: interviews, important meetings, lectures, and conversations that I need to quote. In this aspect, I don't think we've moved far from what we had available prior to the AI boom. Audio recorders have long been used for dictation, with the recordings subsequently used to review, study, verify, and preserve what was actually said. The difference is that now the transcript can be automatically generated, without requiring a human to transcribe it.

But for everyday conversations? I think for now, I'm going to keep practising the things that make me human: listening, being present, paying attention, remembering, and reflecting. I believe that we cannot (and perhaps we'll never be able to) completely replace human presence with technology. (note: typing this reminds me of all the books/movies where other living things are fascinated by humans and want to be human; i.e. The Host by Stephanie Meyer)

Maybe one day wearable AI assistants will become as common as smartphones. If or when that happens, I'll adapt where it makes sense.

But there is one question I hope I never stop asking myself:

Is my use of this technology helping me be and become more fully human; or is it hurting myself and others by stunting my growth?