The Gift of Presence: How AI Can Simplify Our Lives and Amplify Our Moments

“Sweetie, my friend hired this Disneyland travel planner, and they said it was the best experience at Disneyland they ever had,” my wife said, her eyes lighting up at the idea.

I scoffed, “What? What a waste of money! We can do all that ourselves.” It seemed ridiculous to me—after all, with all the resources online, planning a Disneyland trip should just be a matter of research and time.

But I relented, and we hired the planner.

I quickly realized just how wrong I’d been. From the moment we arrived, it was like stepping into a different kind of vacation—a kind I hadn’t known I needed. We weren’t checking maps, standing confused at crossroads, or endlessly refreshing apps for wait times. Everything flowed. Our planner knew our preferences—when the kids were usually at their happiest, what kind of food they’d love, and which attractions would leave us in awe. She had already coordinated the entire experience, texting us with everything we needed at just the right moments. No frantic decision-making, no heated debates about what to do next—just ease, laughter, and pure presence.

I wasn’t standing there trying to figure out where the next meal would come from, or how to minimize wait times. We didn’t waste a moment thinking about logistics. Instead, I found myself fully immersed—giggling with my kids as we spun wildly on the teacups, holding my wife’s hand during the fireworks, watching my children’s eyes widen at the magic of meeting their favorite characters. What I truly gained from that experience was the freedom to be present. I wasn’t just on a trip to Disneyland—I was with my family, feeling every moment, savoring every memory we made together.

The whole experience was a revelation: the value of presence. I had always thought that technology’s job was to make things easier, but in reality, much of what we use today ends up making us work more—self-service apps that demand our constant attention, schedules that we build for ourselves, information overload that needs constant sorting. It dawned on me that the essence of what made the trip so wonderful was that the planner took away the cognitive load. It wasn’t that I couldn’t plan it myself, it was that I didn’t have to—someone else knew my needs, understood our preferences, and made the complexity invisible to us.

This is exactly where I see the promise of AI agents. Imagine not just a trip to Disneyland, but every aspect of your life simplified and enhanced this way. AI agents could be like that planner—learning about you, understanding what you need, and taking care of all the information, choices, and logistics that consume your energy. Instead of being lost in endless scrolling, researching, and decision fatigue, you’d be free to focus on what truly matters. You wouldn’t have to choose between time or money; with the right AI, you could reclaim both.

AI could give us the power to be present—fully engaged, not with our screens, but with the people, experiences, and moments that enrich our lives. Just as my family’s experience at Disneyland transformed from hectic planning to effortless joy, our daily lives could become more meaningful, our learning more profound, and our time more ours. It’s about creating technology that doesn’t demand more of us, but instead, gives us back what we value most: presence, insight, and connection.