Maria works two jobs. Days at a fulfillment center, evenings cleaning offices. She has two kids, a car that's twelve years old, and exactly enough income to almost make it work.
They gave you privacy. Now you manage the passwords.
They gave you autonomy. Now you make the decisions you never wanted to make.
They gave you the right to expert opinion. Now you figure out how to afford it.
The food stamp program serves about 82% of eligible Americans. Not because 18% don’t want help. Because 18% can’t survive the process of getting it.
Margaret’s daughter Sarah called last Tuesday to tell her she’d “taken care of” the Medicare Advantage plan selection. Sarah had asked the AI to compare formularies against Margaret’s medication list, check which plans included Margaret’s cardiologist, evaluate the premium-to-deductible tradeoffs, and recommend the best option. Then she had it fill out the enrollment paperwork and submit it electronically.
Margaret applied for a new credit card last month. She did not know, when she submitted the application, that a system had already decided who she was.
It knew her zip code, which told it something about her neighborhood’s median income and historical default rates. It knew her age, which placed her in an actuarial category with its own risk profile. It knew she had searched for “best credit cards for seniors” three days earlier, which told it she was shopping around. It knew the browser she used, the device she submitted from, the time of day she applied.
Margaret’s Tuesday morning began at 6:14 when her health app vibrated on the nightstand. Overnight blood pressure readings elevated. The app recommended she discuss a medication adjustment with her cardiologist and offered to schedule an appointment.