A 2025 snapshot
A short, sceptical snapshot from late 2025 on the gap between what we want to automate with AI and what actually works without endless faff.
This is an older piece, kept as a record. It reflects the tools and versions of its time — check the dates before relying on any specifics.
Heads up This was written in October 2025, and the very complaint it opens with is the part that has dated. "Update a document in my Drive by voice" is no longer science fiction — Gemini is now baked directly into Google Workspace (Docs, Drive, Gmail), and the Gemini app can read, edit and create Drive documents on your behalf. The soup joke below still lands, but read it as a snapshot of a fast-moving moment, not a standing verdict.
I'm looking at what exactly I can automate or streamline at the moment using AI. It'd be nice to casually chat with my computer to, for example, update a document.
However, it seems like AI is improving far more slowly than the list of things people want to frictionlessly streamline with it.
There should be a name for the tendency of modern technology to be rapidly outpaced by the sheer frustration of realizing the limited number of headline uses that actually work without absurd levels of faff, errors, and inconsistencies.
I tried the Google Gemini advanced trial to see if it could, for example, update documents for me in my drive via voice.
"Haha! No, of course, I can't do that. Don't be silly. Do you want a recipe for soup?"
I continue to believe that AI is very cool but ultimately lacks the intelligence needed for the tasks that really, actually matter. It's potentially damaging in all the ways that count.
All articlesI help content-rich organisations understand their data and pull it back into one place. Tell me what specific problems you're having and I'll be happy to talk solutions with you.
Tell me what specific problems you’re having and I’ll be happy to talk solutions with you.