The AI hype seems to know no bounds. Is there any sphere of life the optimists will leave untouched? AI techies are coming for home appliances now, too, because it isn’t enough that our refrigerators store our food for us; we need them to refashioned top-down into AI bots that can spin out recipes for us.

The main problem with this domestic infestation of AI is the simultaneous invasion of privacy, as noted in a recent Futurism article. Also, it’s just a hassle to keep up with. There’s no doubt there are certain things AI simplifies, like facial recognition on apps and generating an email via ChatGPT, but when I’m in the mood for a frozen burrito, there’s really only so much that computer mediation can do for me. These appliances were designed for a pretty simple purpose, and if it becomes untenable for me to singlehandedly cook meals without a bot chirping instructions, then I probably deserve to go hungry. Why do we feel the need to force AI into our homes and for appliances we don’t need it for? This seems to reflect a broader temptation in the AI world. Because it’s new, and “sophisticated,” we overexaggerate its potential and start scrambling to make it revolutionize our daily lives (and livelihoods).

The privacy concern seems more than valid, as well. Big Tech can’t seem to resist selling consumer information to advertisers, and the more we permit the tyranny of the algorithm into our domestic midst, we may find our agency and sense of choice chipping away. In a strange turn of events, it’s no longer enough for traditional appliances to wash my clothes and heat or cool my food, but it has to talk to me, too. It’s as if anthropomorphizing the washer machine is the next true step in human progress.

This is all jested in good fun, but there does seem to be an urgent need to clarify what AI is good for and what it would only muddle and complicate. It’s a new technology, and its creators want to see it pervade the new world down to my kitchen appliances. Fair enough; just let me eat my burrito in peace.