‘Mommy is talking to her robot’: Mother of 7 pays up to $3k a month to power AI agents that run her household and homeschool her kids — here's how

As AI technology becomes more capable, some adopters are beginning to use it for much more than writing emails or answering questions.

“I got five years back,” Genet told The Cut.

Here’s a look at how her AI-powered household works and what it costs to maintain it.

Inside Genet’s AI-powered home

Meet Claire, one of the members of Genet’s AI household. Unlike Siri or Alexa, which wait for someone to ask a question, Claire can take initiative. The AI has access to certain accounts and information, allowing it to spot needs, make decisions and complete tasks on Genet’s behalf.

In one recent example, Claire noticed an upcoming family vacation to Lake Tahoe and ordered a book it thought would be useful for one of Genet’s children. It also helps manage grocery shopping by keeping track of supplies and placing orders when items need to be replaced.

Claire is just one of several AI agents working behind the scenes. Genet also uses a group of agents known as the Wests — Clark, Dan and Chloe — that help with her legal and administrative paperwork. Another team focuses on coding, building apps and software tools.

Another AI agent, Sylvie, supports her children’s homeschooling. Sylvie can generate lesson plans, educational games and personalized learning materials based on each child’s needs and progress.

After each class, Genet records a quick voice note for the AI, which then updates and adjusts future lessons. Her five-year-old daughter Quinn says, “Mommy is talking to her robot.”

While Genet’s setup may sound extreme, she’s part of a growing group of consumers incorporating AI into their daily routines. More than half of American adults (61%) have used AI in the past six months, and nearly one in five report using it every day, according to a 2025 consumer AI survey.

According to The State of Consumer AI Report, one 51-year-old working mother said she regularly turns to technology when her teenage daughter is struggling with math, as well.

“It gives me tricks to help her remember rules and formulas, and sometimes we use it to create practice tests with answer keys based on the worksheets she brings home so that she can prepare for tests,” the other said.

The financial upside

Before becoming a stay-at-home parent, Genet co-founded and served as CEO of Lumi, a startup that sold custom packaging to e-commerce companies. After the sale, Genet and her husband, Ryan Hudson — who co-founded the coupon app Honey, which was later acquired by PayPal in a multibillion-dollar deal — relocated their blended family to a horse ranch just outside of Los Angeles.

Years of leading a company and managing employees have helped shape her perspective on how artificial intelligence can be used effectively.

“So I’m zero percent threatened and 100 percent empowered,” Genet said. “I have no skin in the game to prove I still have value in my job. I understand that’s not the norm.”

Not everyone is as optimistic. Many employees remain uneasy about AI’s growing presence at work. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 52% of workers are worried about the future impact AI could have on the workplace.

Genet, however, sees the technology as an opportunity rather than a threat. Despite never learning how to code, she has built much of her household around these agents.

Hiring the human equivalent of Genet’s AI team wouldn’t come cheap. The average personal assistant earns about $$72,165 a year, while private tutors often charge between $25 and $80 an hour. Even before factoring in software developers, bookkeepers and other specialists, replicating those services with human workers could cost many families tens of thousands of dollars annually.

Still, running an AI-powered household isn’t as simple as paying for a ChatGPT subscription. To support her network of agents, Genet has assembled an in-home computing system that includes five Mac Minis and a $10,000 Mac Studio.

She previously estimated spending between $2,000 and $3,000 a month on computing power while relying heavily on Claude, Anthropic’s AI platform. After the company restricted some heavy users, Genet moved more of her AI operations onto machines she owns herself.

“If the apocalypse happens, I’ll still have superintelligence at my fingertips,” she said.

Are AI-powered homes the future?

Genet is the first to admit her AI-powered household isn’t perfect.