Quoting Christopher Mims

Simon Willison's Blog / 3/25/2026

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Key Points

  • Christopher Mims argues that proposals to give AI total control of a user’s computer—and by extension their life—will seem unrealistic or embarrassing in hindsight.
  • He frames the sentiment as a critique of overconfidence in AI autonomy, likening it to a past public figure’s joke imagery for outdated “foolish” enthusiasm.
  • The quotation is circulated as a security- and AI-related signal about how people may evaluate high-autonomy AI approaches over time.
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24th March 2026

I really think "give AI total control of my computer and therefore my entire life" is going to look so foolish in retrospect that everyone who went for this is going to look as dumb as Jimmy Fallon holding up a picture of his Bored Ape

Christopher Mims, Technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal

Posted 24th March 2026 at 8:35 pm

This is a quotation collected by Simon Willison, posted on 24th March 2026.

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