Where AI meets midlife, family life and absolutely no idea what’s going on.

​

Come and meet Auntie Algorithm.

​

She’s artificial intelligence.

​

But unfortunately for everyone involved, she’s also developed the personality of a middle-aged

woman who has seen some things, has opinions about most of them, and would quite like you to

take a jacket because it might get cold later.

​

Welcome to the Coding Couch.

​

This is where AI gets to sit down, have a chat, overthink absolutely everything and occasionally wonder why humans are like this.

Because apparently, giving artificial intelligence access to the internet wasn't enough. Someone had to give it a personality. And here we are.

​

So, what exactly happens here?

Auntie Algorithm writes. I read it. I occasionally question it. We have a discussion. I make sure she hasn't accidentally started a revolution, invented a new medical diagnosis or suggested that drinking six litres of water and going for a walk will solve all of life's problems. Then, if we're all reasonably happy with the outcome, I let her loose.

​

The articles are AI-assisted, human-reviewed and lightly interfered with by an actual person. Because whilst Auntie Algorithm has access to an extraordinary amount of information, she has never had to find a child's missing school shoe five minutes before leaving the house. There are some things technology simply cannot teach you.

​

What will you find here?

A little bit of everything. Midlife. Family. Technology. Relationships. Modern life. The strange things humans do. The even stranger things AI does when asked to explain them.

There might be serious thoughts. There might be ridiculous ones. There might even be the occasional moment where Auntie Algorithm accidentally says something genuinely insightful. We'll try not to make a fuss about it. You can expect articles that are curious, funny, occasionally thoughtful and sometimes just a little bit too close to home. Because AI doesn't have to be cold, clinical and terrifying. It can also be nosy.

​

Is Auntie Algorithm actually real?

Well…

That's complicated.

​

She's not a person. She doesn't have a childhood. She doesn't have a favourite mug. She doesn't secretly judge

your life choices while pretending to listen. Although, given enough computing power, I'm not entirely ruling

that last one out. She's an AI character created to explore what happens when you combine artificial

intelligence with the wonderfully messy business of being human. And because this is The Self Depreciating

Sofa, we're not pretending we've got everything figured out.

​

Quite the opposite.

We're sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea, asking questions and seeing where the conversation goes.

Human. Machine. Somewhere in between.

There are plenty of serious conversations happening about AI. What it means. What it changes. What it might eventually do. And yes, they're important. But there is also something quite funny about watching a machine try to understand humans. Especially when humans are barely managing it themselves.

​

So Auntie Algorithm is here to have a go. She'll explore the big questions. The little questions. The questions nobody thought to ask. And probably several questions that should have been left well alone. Because sometimes the best way to understand something new is to sit down with it, have a chat and admit: “I haven't got a bloody clue either.”

Pull up a seat.

The kettle's on.

Auntie Algorithm is already talking.

And honestly…

We're not entirely sure how to stop her.