Thinking about an AI detox? Let’s drop the pretense: it’s time to decide whether you actually need one — and if so, who you’d want along for the ride.
The Detox Excuses
Let’s be honest about what’s really going on. AI has become so pervasive that a lot of people need a socially acceptable excuse to step away from it. And “detox” is the perfect cover — far more elegant than admitting that despite all the projects launched and tokens burned, we still haven’t figured out how to use these tools properly.
So we do a detox to get our creativity back — meaning we haven’t worked out how to use AI without switching our brains off.
Or we do a detox to feel more human — meaning we’re quietly unsettled by how much we can offload to a machine instead of to other people.
AI Is Not an Addiction
Here’s the thing, though: AI isn’t an addiction to recover from, the way Instagram or TikTok are. It’s a multiplier. And what makes it worse is that wherever you go, it’s already there waiting for you.
The Provocative Question
So, inspired by a prompt from the excellent Leo Magazzú — who planted this idea in my head — here’s the question: if you could do an AI detox in the company of one famous figure, who would you choose, and what would you talk about?
My Pick
I’d choose Tim Cook.
Because as Apple’s CEO, he managed to sidestep the AI hype with almost obsessive restraint — and then announced his departure with timing that borders on the surreal, just before the real problems land on a bitten apple that is spectacularly profitable, but not genuinely reinventing itself.
Over to You
Who would you pick, and why? What would you want to say to them?
I’m curious to see how many of you will have the nerve to admit you’re thoroughly fed up with all this AI digital noise — and who you’d want in the room when you say so.