I recently met a friend for a drink who\u2019d just visited three galleries. She was having a cultural day \u2013 curated for her by AI. Based on what it knew about her, it suggested exhibitions she\u2019d enjoy, places to eat, even the best routes between stops. I was stunned. (Was I part of the itinerary?)<\/p>\n
As part of my skeptic AI diary, I decide to use it to rediscover my hometown. I ask the ChatGPT to plan a full day out about town in London<\/a>, packed with activities I might not normally choose. I tell the AI to ask me a few questions first, to gauge what I\u2019ll enjoy and steer clear of neighbourhoods I already know well. I also ask it to check in after each stop, to vibe-check what comes next and offer backup options.<\/p>\n The schedule should be breadcrumbed to me throughout the day, so it feels like a kind of treasure hunt. I must admit I\u2019m excited.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve selected the postal museum in Farringdon as the first stop,\u201d confirms the AI. The museum is a brilliant choice. I leave my home at 11am, and within an hour, I\u2019m riding through narrow, pre-war tunnels that criss-cross London, on a tiny carriage designed to transport sacks of mail. Stalactites everywhere, like Gringotts bank. It\u2019s magical.<\/p>\n Next, the AI sends me to wetlands in Walthamstow, East London. It\u2019s a rare glimpse of wilderness in the city: there are rare birds here, fishing lakes, crisp air. I crunch through mud in white trainers and read information boards about what\u2019s in front of me. I come to the same conclusion about ornithology that I always do: someone is having a monumental laugh, and none of these birds are real. Yeah, yeah, I\u2019ll keep my eye out for a \u2026 tufted pochard? A goldeneye? Why would they name a James Bond film after a mid-size duck?<\/p>\n It\u2019s a lovely walk, but there are a lot of pylons in the marshes \u2013 I\u2019m convinced I can feel electricity in the air. Maybe I\u2019ll bring a date next time.<\/p>\n I realise I\u2019m weak with hunger. I haven\u2019t visited the bathroom, or fed myself, because the schedule didn\u2019t tell me to. A quietly harrowing moment.<\/p>\n Things get weird when the AI sends me to \u2026 the lobby of the Bloomberg building, in the financial district. Is it showing me its home? I\u2019m astonished to descend stairs, and enter a Roman temple. It\u2019s the Mithraeum<\/a>, discovered on this very site after wartime bombing. The dark, hushed remains are open to the public, with a chanting soundscape that feels like an Illuminati induction. It\u2019s extraordinary. But why do I keep being sent underground?<\/p>\n