|
Has AI started to make your brain feel… a little fried?
“I have spun out on ChatGPT.”
“My buddy Claude is good… but he’s not as smart as he thinks he is. It’s starting to drive me a bit bonkers.”
“AI has taken over my work and personal world. I need it to stop. I want to get off this ride.”
Those were from three different clients.
All in the past week.
The last one said something that really stuck with me:
“I know we didn’t have a call scheduled, but I just needed to talk to a human. My brain is AI-fried.”
That comment, and a discussion on this topic with the Alchemists in our Tuesday call, made me wonder …
Is our heavy use of AI tools becoming our Technological Covid.
During Covid, many of us experienced isolation in ways we had never experienced before.
At first, there were upsides.
No commuting.
More control over our days.
Working in yoga pants.
Sourdough starters anyone???
It felt freeing.
But over time something else started to happen.
Even though we were busy on Zoom all day, something was missing.
Humans need human contact.
- We need to “breathe the same air” of other people sometimes.
- We need to shake a hand and look in the eyes of a new acquaintance.
- We need to brainstorm around a table with colleagues while eating bagels and drinking coffee.
With Covid we could not gather, and eventually we saw the cost.
According to the CDC, symptoms of anxiety and depression among U.S. adults roughly tripled during the pandemic. Globally, the World Health Organization reported a 25% increase in anxiety and depression in the first year alone.
Isolation had a real impact on our mental and emotional health.
Now AI is showing up in a similar way.
AI is not forcing isolation like Covid did. But it is quietly making it easier to work alone.
Many of my clients are using AI all day long to do the heavy lifting at work. They’re summarizing documents, brainstorming ideas, drafting emails, building presentations.
Then they come home … and use it again.
- Planning a 50th birthday party.
- Creating the vacation itinerary.
- Figuring out how to fit a 200-hour yoga certification around work obligations.
AI is amazing at helping us process information and move faster.
But lately I’m hearing something new:
AI fatigue.
Brains that feel fried.
A strange sense of mental overload.
And sometimes … a quiet feeling of disconnection.
Then I had a thought:
What if we treat AI the way some people treat alcohol in January?
What if we became Dry-AI curious?
Not anti-AI.
Not all-or-nothing.
Just … intentional.
Because if Covid taught us anything, it’s that alone time can be good and isolation can be tolerated for a while … but not without consequences.
A 30-Day AI Detox (Your Version)
This doesn’t have to mean quitting AI entirely. That would be unrealistic for most of us.
But you might experiment with something like:
- No AI before 9 AM – Start the day with your own thinking first. Journal. Walk outside. Talk to your partner.
- Human-first problem solving – Before asking AI, ask yourself and/or one other human how you would approach the issue.
- AI for output, not identity – Use it to polish your ideas … not replace them. This keeps the YOU in your work.
- Protect one AI-free zone – Maybe evenings. Maybe when creating.
- Notice how your brain feels – More space? More clarity? More creativity? What can you gain from more of this?
An AI-detox should not feel restrictive. It is about reclaiming space for human connection and your own creative ideas.
We use AI most powerfully when we don’t follow an AI-First approach.
So, I’m curious … are you Dry-AI curious?
What’s one thing you can try this week to set down AI and reconnect with another person or a NO-AI creative endeavor.
Reply and let me know what happens when you do!
|
