In this week’s Wish I Thought of That, we explore Village, a quietly ambitious app using AI to help small circles of people stay connected. After years of isolation and algorithmic noise, we’ve lost some skills on how to stay connected IRL. Village asks whether technology can help us remember.
We look at what happens when AI moves from productivity to empathy, not just helping us work faster, but nudging us to care. Can a machine remind us to call a friend without replacing the human impulse to notice? When does a tool become a teacher, and when does it cross into emotional outsourcing?
From training wheels vs balance bikes to measuring connection in real-world touchpoints, Tom and Hiba unpack the fine line between AI-assisted empathy and AI as empathy proxy. Along the way, they break down three layers of emotionally intelligent design — reactive, proactive, and contextual — from therapy bots to mindset-aware tools like Duolingo and Five Minute Journal, to context-sensitive apps like Headspace, N26, and Apple Photos.
This episode asks a simple question with cultural weight: can technology help us feel more human — or just simulate the feeling of it?
Key themes
Relearning connection in a post-pandemic, AI-mediated world.
Human connection as infrastructure — can it exist without AI?
Training wheels vs balance bike: when should AI “leave the room”?
Measuring success through offline outcomes, not engagement time.
Emotional intelligence in apps: reactive, proactive, contextual.
The cultural vacuum and why emotional resonance is the next UX frontier.
Links
Hiba on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hibaganta/
The Needful is Hiba’s newsletter on cultural intelligence for sharper, human-led product decisions. It’s for indie founders and small teams who want clarity without the AI hype. Expect pragmatic strategy, mental models, and cultural research that lift your team’s thinking. Hiba reads features, stories, and signals in one go — from product to org culture — so you can ship with craft, protect user trust, and keep real judgment in the loop.
Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-horak/
Tom is the founder of All Shapes, a design and product studio working with founders, scale-ups and innovative enterprises to build meaningful digital tools that last. All Shapes blends craft, culture and human clarity — helping teams move from early concepts to high-performing, values-aligned experiences.Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of culture, values, and technology.
Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of culture, values, and technology.
