Susi follows the line on her regular route to work. A nearby bookshop offers her a newly released novel; the next instalment from a long-running series that she has enjoyed. Approaching the local coffee shop, a subtle ping lets her know that her favourite morning coffee has been auto-ordered and is ready to pick up right on time.
Pausing for a moment to savor the hot drink, Susi glances at the street around her, still a little surprised at the turn her life has taken in the last few months. Everything had seemed so stable until her son left for college and somehow without him around, her marriage fell apart. Looking for a new start, Susi had applied for a transfer to her company’s Denver office as soon as the position opened up. Her AI system helped her find her feet in a new city, even pointing her to the cosy coffee shop nearby that was strangely similar to her old favourite in Oklahoma City.
Susi notices a woman of similar age walking towards her in the opposite direction. She has seen her at the coffee shop a few times now, and each time has become increasingly intrigued by how different their lives seem to be. Some days she is in her hiking gear, sometimes she juggles a yoga mat with her coffee. Today she gives Susi a warm smile as she reties her climbing shoes to her pack and heads off along the road towards the nearby mountains which Susi still hasn’t found time to visit.
Susi’s AI pings a little more insistently, and her line glows to let her know that she’s off track and running late. A message from a work colleague pops into her view but instead of opening the notification she pulls up her settings and pauses for a moment, looking through all the things that her AI knows about her. It is strange seeing everything about herself laid out so plainly; from the basic stats about her age and location to tiny, subtle things about her routine and interests. She looks at the glowing line in front of her and begins to wonder: is the Susi that her AI knows still the Susi she still wants to be, now that so much of her life has changed?
She takes a deep breath and begins to adjust her settings. The world around her starts to shift, and she glimpses a multitude of possible lives she could choose to live. A message from a new running companion app pops into her schedule - tomorrow she will start her morning with a run in the hills.