“Even Dead, I’m The Hero…”

These posthumous words from Tony Stark ring out from beyond the grave in Spider-Man: Far From Home. The acronym also spells out EDITH. That’s the name for the AI-successor to JARVIS, the super intelligence Iron Man once used to face off against evildoers like Thanos.

EDITH arrives as a gift to Peter Parker in the form of augmented-reality (AR) glasses. But just how powerful are they? When a rival named Brad threatens to send a compromising pic of Parker to MJ, his crush, Parker orders EDITH to “Take him out.”

The AI companion takes the order literally. EDITH launches a deadly missile strike on their school bus, nearly assassinating Brad until Parker stops the drone attack.

Romantic dalliances aside, EDITH grants Peter control over satellite networks, surveillance tools, and, of course, weaponized drones. As if Parker didn’t already enjoy amazing perks any high schooler can only dream about. Wearing EDITH spectacles, he suddenly possesses a god-like interface. It responds to voice commands, doing Parker’s bidding, not unlike a magic wand from another iconic cultural artifact—Harry Potter.

Yet beneath the superhero escapade lies a deeper fantasy now come to life: that we can somehow access life’s cheat codes. This is the promise behind Cluely AI, a smart guidance platform that gives you hints in real-time to navigate existence with greater confidence—like you’re forever wearing AR glasses.

Yet unlike EDITH, Cluely AI didn’t come from the fevered mind of a billionaire playboy/inventor. It emerged from something far more banal—the alleged academic cheating of 21-year-old former Columbia University student Chungin “Roy” Lee.

“Roy Lee’s journey began with a bold idea: an AI tool to give job candidates an edge in interviews. While at Columbia, he developed Interview Coder, which provided real-time answers during coding interviews, leading to his suspension for academic dishonesty. Rather than retreating, Lee doubled down, rebranding his vision as Cluely, a versatile AI assistant that whispers answers during high-stakes situation,” according to Medium.

Rather than retreat from this ignoble setback, Lee doubled down on his initial vision. His fledgling startup soon received several million dollars in seed funding. It also attracted significant attention—some good, some not so good—thanks to its bold approach to AI-assisted performance.

As NDTV describes it, “Cluely's AI operates undetected in a hidden browser window, providing real-time assistance during exams, sales calls, and interviews. The company justified its approach by drawing parallels to calculators and spellcheck, arguing that tools initially deemed as cheating can become normalized over time.”

One of the more controversial aspects to Cluely AI is the company launch video starring Lee using his application on a date. Lee posted it to X (formerly Twitter) with this evocative description: “Cluely is out. Cheat on everything.”

For those who haven’t yet seen the video, it’s set in a posh restaurant. Lee sits across from his date. The romantic encounter takes an unexpected twist when it becomes clear Cluely AI is feeding Lee information in real time—much like a pair of EDITH AR glasses could inform Parker of nearby dangers.

Unbeknownst to his date, Lee receives pointers from a hidden overlay. Insightful nuggets include information about her interests. Reminiscent of Roxanne, in which the more eloquent Steve Martin feeds romantic quips to a tongue-tied dolt, Cluely AI suggests responses to questions to win her over.

Despite Cluely AI’s sagacious advice things still threaten to go south when his date questions Lee about his age. (Lee pretends to be 30—only to be called out by their server, who demands to see I.D.) But even then Cluely AI swoops in, coming up with yet another seemingly plausible lie.

Naturally, pundits are alarmed by the technology. Some have likened it to a Black Mirror episode, imagining a future world where anyone can “cheat” their way into romantic success through underhanded technology. For his part, Lee’s company has argued the tools are but a sign of the times as more people rely on sophisticated AI tools like ChatGPT for everything from essays to relationship advice.

Regardless of your own take on Cluely AI, it’s undeniable that the technology fulfills a core human need—the urge for certainty. Returning to the romance department, it smacks of so many dating strategy books like No More Mr. Nice Guy by Dr. Robert Glover and Models: Attract Women Through Honesty by Mark Manson.

Whether it’s Roxanne or a stack of romantic self-help manuals, there’s something universal about the wish to stop second-guessing ourselves. To put our best foot forward, especially when the stakes are high. To invoke yet another pop cultural reference, it reminds me of the Seinfeld episode “The Café.” In it, George convinces Elaine to take an IQ test for him to impress his girlfriend. As you can guess, things don’t go well with his scheme.

Again, so many simple yet familiar frustrations stem from the need to put ourselves out there better. To be perceived as smarter. Funnier. More interesting. To this end, Cluely AI assists with many performance boosts using AI.

Let’s go over one right now to glimpse such capabilities. Picture yourself on a live sales call on Zoom. You really want to close this person, but you struggle to find the right words to say to your prospect. In this case, Cluely AI offers real-time suggestions, including advice you on tone, pacing, even delivery to clinch the deal.

Faced with this growing capability, some may worry that future generations will grow ever more dependent upon such tools, especially socially. Already, we live in a world where humans increasingly outsource many life and work skills and activities that people once did to AI from navigation to hiring decisions. Contemplating the issue from a more macro standpoint, AI is increasingly blurring the lines around what constitutes academic honesty. Just this month, The New York Times published an article on the prevalence of professors using ChatGPT on campuses.

Reflecting on these developments, we’d do well to remember one final universal human need: to be more than ourselves. It underlies so many of the Marvel movies starring Peter Parker and Tony Stark. And though it’s natural to wish to be a superhero with immense powers, life’s real challenge isn’t just developing greater capabilities. It’s wrestling with our own limitations. And remembering who we really are when the glasses come off.