Over the past month, I’ve allowed the AI app Rize to delve into every facet of my work life, promising to enhance productivity by analyzing my computer activities. With a keen eye on every app opened, website visited, and calendar appointment, Rize positions itself as an “AI productivity coach,” aiming to foster focus and healthier work habits at a cost of $17 per month or $120 per year.
Rize combines distraction-blocking and a Pomodoro timer with AI-generated insights. Encouraging users to start “Focus Sessions,” it intervenes when detecting off-task activities and suggests breaks between sessions. The app automatically recognizes major email, messaging, and social media apps, making setup hassle-free.
While Rize’s intent is clear—to create a personalized, productivity-enhancing experience—it falls short in some aspects. The inflexibility of its focus timers became a significant drawback, interrupting deep work sessions arbitrarily. The lack of nuance in recognizing tasks that demand focused time, such as emails, created counterproductive situations.
Moreover, Rize measures inputs rather than outputs, making it challenging to correlate focus time with actual productivity. Despite daily emails with breakdowns of time spent, the insights provided by the AI often felt rigid and unable to adapt to the intricacies of work.
Co-founder Macgill Davis envisions a more automated future for Rize, aiming to refine recommendations based on user interactions. However, the challenge lies in striking a balance between automation and user customization. The need for greater interactivity and user feedback to tailor AI coaching mechanisms is apparent.
As an end user, I found myself turning off Rize for extended periods to avoid its somewhat intrusive nature, raising questions about its actual impact on productivity. While the concept of an AI productivity coach is intriguing, Rize, in its current form, requires more refinement to truly become a seamless and effective digital work companion.