Joanna Stern Launches New Things as 'I Am Not a Robot' Debuts on May 12

8 articles · Updated · The Verge · May 11

Joanna Stern has left The Wall Street Journal to start New Things, a new media company built around newsletters, video, events and direct audience subscriptions.
May 12 marks the release of her book "I Am Not a Robot," drawn from 12 months of using AI across work and home life and testing where the technology is useful versus overhyped.
Stern said New Things is launching with an NBC News partnership to extend beyond core tech audiences, while YouTube will serve as a primary distribution channel despite its weak standalone economics for creators.
Her reporting and book argue that wearable AI may find a consumer breakthrough sooner than humanoid robots, which she says remain far from ready for home use because of data, safety and utility gaps.
The broader pitch behind both projects is to explain fast-moving technology to mainstream consumers while examining AI's trade-offs around privacy, labor, children and regulation.

As AI becomes a child's companion, how do we prevent the erosion of human empathy and social skills?

Can any wearable AI 'killer app' ever justify the immense trade-offs in our personal privacy and data security?

By outsourcing our thinking to AI, are we trading convenience for a future of diminished critical thought?