An AI startup is driving 3,400 miles to film how Americans live with AI

The founder of a US AI software company is taking a camera crew on a road trip to ask ordinary Americans how AI is changing their lives.

The documentary, called America vs. AI, will cover about 3,400 miles and more than 20 cities this month, AskBobAI said in a press release. TNW has not independently verified the plans.

Andrew DeGood, AskBobAI’s founder and chief executive, will host. Leadership consultant Liz Short is co-host, and filmmaker Alyx Ancira is producing.

“We hear a lot about what AI might do someday. We want to document what it’s doing right now,” DeGood said in the release.

“This isn’t about whether AI is good or bad. It’s about listening to the people living through it.”

From Chicago to Boston and back

The trip starts and ends in Chicago. Stops include Louisville, Nashville, Birmingham, Raleigh, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Buffalo.

The team says it will look at jobs, schools, small business, family life and trust in the media. Filming runs from 9 to 26 October, according to the project’s website.

Short clips and road updates will go out during the trip. The finished film will follow on YouTube. People can apply to be interviewed through a short online form, and no AI knowledge is needed.

“AI isn’t just a technology story anymore. It’s a people’s story,” Short said.

A mood the film will meet

The crew will find a country that uses AI but does not fully trust it. About half of Americans now use AI chatbots, yet 40% think AI will make society worse, Pew found this year.

Young adults have turned too. Most Americans under 30 are now more worried than excited, and 73% of them expect AI to mean fewer jobs.

AskBobAI sells AI search and knowledge tools to businesses, so the company has a stake in how that debate goes. DeGood says the film will hear from all sides.

“We want to hear from people on every side of this,” he said, from early adopters to “the workers wondering what it means for their jobs.”