Computing Life

Previously, we discussed how a simple Apple Watch combined with the Whisper model turned my entire life into a data stream that AI could access anytime. After running the experiment for a few days, I ended up with a highly detailed yet disorganized log of my daily life. My initial idea was to build some new AI product prototypes to help me with tasks. However, the real "Aha!" moment came not from creating some fancy new feature, but from the process of processing and reviewing these recordings itself.

Second Look: Finding Space for Reflection Amidst the Noise

Do you ever feel like modern life moves too fast? Our time is fragmented by countless apps, messages, and short videos. We're constantly talking, doing, and consuming information, but rarely have the time to truly pause and reflect on what happened today and how we handled things.

The ancient sage Zengzi spoke of examining oneself thrice daily: "Have I been unfaithful in planning for others? Have I been untrustworthy in interactions with friends? Have I failed to practice what I preach?" This might have been feasible in ancient times, but today, it feels like a luxury. Forget hiring a life coach; even consistently keeping a daily journal makes you a superhero.

But this experiment unexpectedly offered me a low-cost, low-friction opportunity for self-reflection. Every day, as I browsed the AI-processed transcripts, the day's events replayed before my eyes. In those moments, I felt like I could step outside myself, observing what I said, did, and how I interacted with others from an almost third-person perspective.

This review process alone was incredibly valuable. Many details I hadn't noticed, words spoken without thinking, and subconscious reactions became clear upon second glance. You naturally start asking yourself: Hey, why did I say that? Was that reaction a bit much? Could I have handled that better?

AI-Powered Reflection: Beyond Simple Recording

What's even more interesting is that this process of review and reflection didn't have to be entirely my own effort. AI played an unexpected role as a sort of life coach, guiding or facilitating the reflection.

For example, in a work context:

I reviewed the transcript of a meeting recording and sensed that the discussion felt superficial, with people talking past each other. I asked the AI: "Help me analyze the potential surface opinions and underlying concerns of everyone in this meeting." The AI, using the context, summarized each person's key points and possible implications, giving me a clearer grasp of the discussion's underlying dynamics. This was immensely helpful for communicating more effectively and moving the project forward later.

For another meeting, I felt like we missed something crucial, like the elephant in the room, but couldn't pinpoint it. I asked the AI again: "Are there any obvious blind spots in the plan we discussed that we might have overlooked?" Based on our conversation, it proposed several plausible risk hypotheses. That immediately clicked for me.

Moreover, these AI-assisted reflections didn't just stop at thoughts. Based on the issues identified, I had the AI draft follow-up Slack messages and summary Confluence documents, directly translating reflection into actionable steps and knowledge capture.

The potential for AI-assisted reflection in personal life is equally vast:

It's more than just a memory aid that can tell me where I put that ointment or remind me of the name of that Michelin restaurant.

Using the "three daily examinations" framework we discussed, it starts offering deeper insights:

• Self-Reflection: Based on my language (e.g., increased frequency of saying "tired") and behavioral records (late-night shopping sprees), it can flag potential stress signals or emotional patterns. It can identify topics I repeatedly ask about or discuss, helping me see my knowledge gaps and growth trajectory. It can even analyze my communication style.
• Relationship Reflection: It can objectively present my interaction patterns with family (more task-driven or emotional connection?). When reviewing conversations, it can even point out missed opportunities for empathy or the other person's potential unspoken needs.
• Meaning Reflection: By synthesizing data over several days, it can reflect on whether my actual time allocation aligns with my core values and track my efforts and progress towards life goals (whether it's managing blood sugar or learning a new skill).

Of course, the reflections AI can currently provide are relatively basic. There's still huge potential to explore what to reflect on and how to reflect more effectively. But the key is that AI significantly lowers the barrier to reflection itself. It provides an objective record, a tireless analysis assistant, and a readily available "wall" (like the Japanese concept of 壁打ち, kabe-uchi, hitting a ball against a wall for practice, implying a partner for bouncing ideas off) to converse with and stimulate thought.

Interaction Evolution: From Seamless Start to Asynchronous Reflection

This experiment also highlighted an interesting shift in interaction. Previously, interacting with AI mostly involved explicit Q&A or commands. But now, when I say to my watch, "Apple Watch AI, research later why butter explodes in the microwave" – I don't press any buttons, wait for confirmation; after the conversation ends, the research task is silently received and (ideally) executed in the background. (Of course, the current technical implementation still requires me to use a special prompt during transcript processing to identify all requests mentioning "Apple Watch AI," and then manually trigger GPT to complete them. But this clearly points towards future automation.)

This interaction style – streaming voice input combined with lightweight commands or implicit intent capture – feels much more natural and seamless than the traditional "Hey Siri" or opening an app to type. It's more like talking to a real assistant nearby. This evolution isn't just about speed and convenience; it's crucial for enabling AI as a reflection partner. It allows us to initiate AI's recording, analysis, or task execution capabilities anytime, at low cost, within the natural flow of thought and conversation, without needing to deliberately switch modes to operate a tool.

Thinking deeper, this actually hints at a new UI paradigm.

When AI starts truly possessing the capabilities we discussed earlier – summarizing reflections, doing background research, reviewing meeting minutes, performing deep analysis – we naturally start wanting to:

• Assign these "slow thinking" tasks asynchronously. I don't need the answer about exploding butter immediately, nor do I need AI analyzing micro-expressions in real-time during my meeting. I just need to easily assign homework within the conversational flow and let the AI digest it in the background.
• Have a dedicated daily or periodic reflection time or AI briefing session to efficiently absorb the processed information, insights, and analysis results. This is like reading a news digest every morning or having a weekly check-in with a coach.

You see, this is another classic example of function dictating form and interaction. It's precisely because AI offers these reflection-oriented features, which require processing time and aim to trigger deep thought, that we're moving towards this new model of easy delegation, asynchronous delivery, and focused review.

This, in turn, pushes us to think: What interaction model is truly best suited for the scenario of "daily self-examination"? What kind of interface (perhaps not an "interface" in the traditional sense at all) can best help us spend our precious deep-thinking energy on understanding AI-provided insights, conducting self-scrutiny, and planning for the future, rather than wasting it on tedious command input or information filtering? This might point towards a more personalized, timing-aware, rhythmic, and perhaps even invisible interaction future.

Conclusion: AI – More Than an Efficiency Tool, a Cognitive Partner and Reflection Mirror

So, back to the original question: What value can be extracted from the vast amount of life "noise" captured by a real-world API?

My exploration suggests that beyond the obvious efficiency gains and memory assistance, its deeper, and perhaps more exciting, value lies in empowering reflection.

AI is evolving from an external tool we call upon demand into a cognitive partner and reflection mirror that can continuously understand us, coexist with us, and stimulate and assist us in deep self-awareness and relationship examination.

This mirror helps us see the overlooked self amidst the daily hustle, hear the unstated subtext, and identify hidden behavioral patterns. It gives us the opportunity to practice "daily self-examination" in an unprecedented way.