This author used ChatGPT as a mirror for her life — and for big tech, too

Vauhini Vara’s new essay collection opens with a heart to heart with ChatGPT.  In her prompt, she asks the program to give her feedback on a few chapters of her upcoming book.  “I’m nervous,” she tells it.  “That’s completely understandable,” it responds with a cheery exclamation point. “Sharing your writing can feel really personal, but I’m here to provide a supportive and constructive perspective. Take your time, and whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here to discuss it with you.”  So begins a high tech odyssey through old Google searches, Amazon product reviews, social media profiles and experiments with artificial intelligence. Along the way, Vara explores the technology that came of age alongside her, including her teenage years on Mercer Island and college experience at Stanford, and how her relationship with it has changed over time.  The book is part-memoir, part critique of how tech companies have positioned their products as “collaborators,” or even companions, in our lives. Every couple chapters, Vara invites the large language model to respond to her writing. It’s just one of the ways she breaks form in the book.  It’s called “SEARCHES: Selfhood in the Digital Age.” Vara will be speaking about the book with the University of Washington's Emily M. Bender at The Elliot Bay Book Company on Wed. April 23 at 7pm. Guests: Vauhini Vara, author Related Links:  Elliott Bay Book Company | Events 45368 Vauhini Vara Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.