A conversation about ticks unexpectedly turned into a full-blown showdown between Amy and Bobby’s AI assistant, all sparked by a listener who suggested Amy might be jealous of the digital helper creeping into her territory. The comment lit a playful fuse, and before long, the Bobby Bones Show found itself hosting a man-versus-machine information battle.
It all began when Bobby shared a story from the New York Post about a 47-year-old New Jersey pilot who became the first documented person in the U.S. to die from Alpha-gal Syndrome. The condition, caused by a bite from the lone star tick, triggers a severe allergy to red meat. The man had eaten steak on a camping trip, gotten extremely ill without knowing why, and later, a hamburger proved fatal once his allergy had fully developed. The tragic story led everyone to the same question: What are ticks even good for? Bobby joked that he wanted to declare the entire show “anti-tick,” and no one disagreed. That’s when he decided to ask his AI assistant for the answer. Amy immediately pushed back, insisting she could explain tick benefits just as well as a robot, maybe better.
Bobby saw his moment. If Amy really believed she could keep up with AI, he wanted a live test. He sent her out of the room, placed her in a “soundproof” office, and prepared the challenge. First up: the AI. He opened his phone and asked, “Are there any good reasons ticks exist?” The AI answered smoothly, even complimenting Bobby’s joke that no one else in the room had laughed at. It explained that ticks do serve a purpose — mostly as a food source for birds, reptiles, and other insects and that everything in nature has its ecological niche. It was calm, polite, and extremely on-brand for a virtual assistant. The whole response took one minute.
Then it was Amy’s turn. She walked back in the studio, ready to compete. Bobby gave her the same time limit and asked the same opening question: “Why do we need ticks?” Amy launched into her version immediately. She matched the structure, tone, and rhythm almost perfectly, even adding something new the AI didn’t mention: ticks help control wildlife populations by spreading disease among certain animals. She also noted that ticks are food for many species, and removing them entirely could disrupt the food chain. When Bobby asked the follow-up: “Would the world be better without ticks?” Amy wrapped her answer right on the one-minute mark. Everyone admitted she nailed it… even if she accused the AI of having no personality.
Still, the comparisons didn’t stop there. Bobby asked the AI to tell the story of John Henry, the folk hero who raced against a machine, won, and then died in the process. The assistant delivered a detailed explanation, tying it to modern conversations about technology and the human spirit. Amy was not impressed. “You’re John Henry,” Bobby told her. “But you’re gonna die trying to beat the machine.” Amy fired back that she didn’t need to run out of the room to look things up. She could stay right there. She just wasn’t pretending she had every answer memorized, unlike the AI, which stalled with polite greetings whenever it needed more time.
By the end, the studio was half-laughing, half-accusing Bobby’s assistant of quietly judging them. Amy insisted the AI didn’t like them and thought they were all idiots. Bobby blamed anything the assistant might “think” on what he tells it when they’re not around.