The Social Club Helping Women Learn About AI

Shoshana Berger and Nina Willdorf used to work at magazines. Now, they run a group called the Aged Intelligence Society. The group hosts small dinner parties where women over 40 learn how to use AI tools to solve real-life problems. The events have become very popular, with more women wanting to attend than there are open spots.

The two women started their group after noticing something at a friend's birthday party. They were talking about an AI tool called Claude, but the other women seemed bored and left out. Berger told Willdorf she thought they had a business idea, because so many women were missing out on the AI conversation. They decided to do something about it.

Their message has connected with a lot of people. Their second dinner party was covered by The New York Times. Hundreds of women reached out asking to attend future events. Their online newsletter quickly gained more than 1,000 subscribers, including a writer for The New Yorker and a small-town mayor.

The dinner parties are small and invite-only, with eight to twelve guests. Berger and Willdorf mix guests from different backgrounds — a nonprofit worker, a designer, a stay-at-home parent, a CEO. Everyone brings a laptop and a real problem they are facing in their life, which the hosts call a 'midlife quandary.' Guests spend time using AI tools to work on their problems while Berger and Willdorf walk around and help.

The problems women bring to these parties are very real. One woman came with a 300-page insurance document about her mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis. She fed the document into an AI tool, which read it and told her that her mother did qualify for long-term care. The AI even offered to write a letter to the insurance company on her behalf.

Berger also shared a personal story about charging too little for her consulting work. She put her work proposal into Claude and asked what was wrong with it. The AI told her she was not charging enough and suggested she double her rate. She did it, and her client did not complain at all.

The group focuses on women over 40 because Berger believes they have spent decades learning how to ask sharp, smart questions. They have strong instincts and will not just accept the first answer — they keep pushing for better results. In her view, life experience makes someone much better at getting useful answers from AI.

Berger also connects AI to a bigger idea about women's time and value. Like the washing machine changed life at home long ago, she believes AI can give women back hours in their day. Many women in their 40s and 50s are juggling jobs, children heading to college, and aging parents who need care. 'The midlife cognitive and emotional labor is so heavy and so intense that we need an assistant,' she said.