Could AI give us cheaper therapy, deeper friendships, and make us happier?
Could AI give us cheaper therapy, deeper friendships, and make us happier? Stelio Ropokis certainly thinks so.
When tech founder and Stanford alum Stelio Ropokis joined The Kollective Institute of Ideas podcast, one might have expected a deep dive into the big question: AI—good or evil? Instead, we found ourselves exploring something subtler and perhaps more interesting: Could AI help us live happier, more connected lives?
Stelio, who interned at Facebook at just 19 and became Spotify’s youngest Product Manager, successfully launching audiobooks, believes the answer is yes. He recently founded Vibe.social, an AI-powered plugin for WhatsApp that delivers daily reflection questions designed to spark playful, meaningful conversations among friends. The app blends self-reflection with social interaction, helping us deepen our connections—both with others and ourselves.
In tech circles from Palo Alto to London, conversations often swirl around anxiety about AI replacing jobs and even relationships. Yet Stelio argues passionately that we're still at the beginning. AI, he insists, can strengthen rather than diminish human bonds. Take dating apps: AI now underpins almost every swipe, match, and conversation. Do they actually improve our dating lives? The jury’s out—success stories coexist with widespread frustration.
Yet dating is just one area where AI is shaping our relationships—its uses are expanding dramatically. At dinners, cafes, and workplaces everywhere, people endlessly discuss ChatGPT. It resolves debates, helps plan dinners, and even provides therapeutic guidance. Can AI really deliver therapy and emotional support? Time will tell. But when the brightest minds at Stanford are developing AI agents sophisticated enough to interview your friends and find the perfect birthday gift, perhaps the AI-powered future isn't something to fear.
Whether AI truly becomes our ally in self-care, friendships, or gift-giving remains to be seen—but with innovators like Stelio leading the way, the future certainly looks promising.
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2EKc779geRK26xVx1S5DL8?si=476fd227a71e4598
