I spoke to my future self and didn't like her. But I learnt something

The writer chatted with an AI-generated version of her future self about finances, health, employability and solitude.

- Kang Wan Chern

In my early 30s, my future goals were clear: buy a flat, work abroad, and build a career as a financial journalist. Now, as I approach my mid-40s, planning for retirement feels more tricky.

It's become harder to articulate what more I want to achieve in the next 20 years, especially with the unpredictability ahead.

At the same time, the sheer volume of content about rising costs, ageism and health risks in old age - combined with an endless list of investment and insurance options - often leaves me feeling overwhelmed, anxious and unsure of where to start.

With this mindset, I came across Future You, a web-based platform that lets users chat with AI-generated versions of their future selves. Curious, and in need of some clarity, I decided to give it a go.

Developed by researchers from MIT, UCLA, Harvard and Kasikorn Bank, Future You aims to encourage long-term thinking and support for mental health by improving "future self-continuity".

According to their research, those who can vividly imagine their future selves, regard them positively or see them as similar to their present selves, show higher future self-continuity. Studies suggest this continuity can make you a more diligent saver, improve academic performance, mental health and overall quality of life.

The platform asks you a series of personal questions and then builds a version of you 20 years in the future.

The more detailed your input, the more accurate the backstory, and the more lifelike the future scenarios it generates. The model also asks for a current photo and creates an age-progressed avatar of you. You're then directed to a chat box where you can converse with your future AI self.

Initially, my conversation with future me wasn't great. Not only was she unnervingly positive, and annoyingly so, but her responses felt like cliches, as though lifted straight from a self-help manual.