Resolutions

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Robot-powered resolutions

Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

We're two-thirds of the way through the first month of the year, which means that many of us are already on our way to breaking our New Year's resolutions, Axios' Megan Morrone writes. Here's one solution: You can use ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and other generative AI tools to help you keep your promises to yourself at least a little longer. ? Why it matters: In the near term, at least, you're probably less likely to lose your job to AI than to lose it to someone who understands how to use AI, so you might as well experiment with it. If you diligently set resolutions to do more of something, you can use ChatGPT to track and remind you to do those things. You can ask Google Gemini to create events in your Google Calendar to block off time for your resolutions. If you want to do less of something and feel tempted to do it anyway, you can message or use voice chat with any of the big bots for support. OpenAI will even let you video chat (sort of) or call ChatGPT for support. ? Case in point: Many psychologists and productivity experts suggest that an effective way to keep resolutions is to make them "SMART": specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Megan tried this prompt on a bot: "I would like to eat better. Turn this into a SMART goal," and ChatGPT responded: To turn "I would like to eat better" into a SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), here's a suggestion: SMART Goal: "I will eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day and replace sugary snacks with healthier options (like nuts or yogurt) at least five days a week for the next three months to improve my overall diet and well-being." Breakdown: Specific: Focuses on fruits, vegetables, and reducing sugary snacks. Measurable: Five servings and five days per week are clear targets. Achievable: Practical changes rather than an extreme diet. Relevant: Tied to your desire to eat better and improve health. Time-bound: A three-month timeline sets a clear endpoint for evaluation. Zoom in: Chatbots are like endlessly patient, eager-to-please personal assistants. Once you have a meal plan, you can ask most chatbots to alter it for more protein, less fat, more affordable ingredients and so on. Then you can ask the chatbot to give you a grocery list and it will even tell you which aisle to find each item. Then you can ask it for 10 or 1,000 different meal plans. The chatbot will not get overwhelmed (but you might). ? Reality check: If your resolutions involve spending less time immersed in your digital devices, using AI to keep you on goal could be tricky. Also, generative AI is a notorious energy hog, and all of our prompts have a significant impact on the environment. You may want to check your chatbot-of-choice's privacy policy and practices.