The Part I Keep
A printed zine of nine young people’s stories about AI, emotional support, and the people in their lives.
Drawn from our interviews with 29 young people ages 16–24, each story follows how AI ended up in the most personal parts of someone’s life: what they got out of it, where it got complicated, and, for some, what it took to change course.
QUESTIONS TO START WITH
These are the questions that brought us the stories in the zine. Try them with the people in your life and see what comes back.
Where it started
What’s the first thing you used AI for? How are you using it differently now?
What it gives you
What’s the most personal topic you’ve brought to AI? What does AI give you that a person doesn’t?
Where it missed
What’s the weirdest or least helpful advice or support AI has offered?
How it shows up
When has AI changed how you handled something with another person, for better or worse?
Where you draw the line
Where do you not want AI in the mix? Have you made any rules for yourself?
The part you keep
Who knows how you actually use AI? What do you keep to yourself?
Request Yours
We want these stories in as many hands as possible, so we offer 1–5 copies of The Part I Keep on a donation basis. Give what you can, then request your copies below.
Please note: we currently do not ship outside of the U.S.
Bringing them to a whole classroom, team, or convening? For bulk orders (6+ copies), share a few details through the link below and we’ll coordinate with you directly.
Want to start today? The free printable PDF and the full research report are on our research page.
Need more than 100 copies? Those ship directly from our printer with a 4-week lead time.
Please direct any questions to order@therithmproject.org.
Keep reading, keep talking
These stories come from our report The New Connection Calculus. For the full picture, or to explore the forces quietly pulling relationships toward AI, start here.