By Sarah Sloat
Publication Date: 2026-01-15 17:00:00
If you’re like many, you’ve probably given up on your New Year’s resolutions by now. Setting goals is hard; They’re harder to retain – and failure can bring up unpleasant feelings about yourself.
In an effort to game the system and tip the scales toward success, some people this year turned to AI for their 2026 resolutions. It’s the latest step in an ongoing trend: In September 2025, OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, released results showing that the use of the AI chatbot for personal advice is widespread.
The company interpreted this as: “People value ChatGPT most as an advisor, not just for completing tasks.”
But just because you can ask AI for life advice, should you? And is that an art? Experts say the dos and don’ts here.
The Pros and Cons of Chatbot Guide
AI-driven goal setting isn’t inherently good or bad, explains Zainab Iftikhar, a graduate student at Brown University whose research focuses on artificial intelligence and…