Analog Weekly #3: When AI Ends Screens—Your Analog Reset Inside
AI & the End of Screens: Reclaim Your Analog Edge
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been wrestling this week with the idea that our screens aren’t just gateways to information, but increasingly, gateways to artificial intelligence—and maybe, as
suggests, to the “end of screens” as we know them.This edition of Analog Weekly is all about exploring what happens when AI reshapes our relationship with screens—and why, more than ever, analog presence matters.
What Is Analog Wellness?
According to the Global Wellness Institute, analog wellness is
“a movement toward experiences that enhance human connection, presence, and physical engagement—without screens.”
At Analog Social, we like to define analog wellness simply as:
How to stay human in a digitally saturated world.
We believe your environment is the #1 determinant of your success and holistic well-being.
🔦 This Week in Analog Wellness
Feature of the Week: “AI and the End of Screens” by Sinead—Substack
What Sinéad argues:
In her short, incisive essay, Sinéad makes the case that today’s AI breakthroughs (think voice assistants, generative interfaces, even early neural-augmented AR) will gradually render flat, glowing rectangles obsolete. Instead of swiping and tapping, we’ll converse with AI “ambiently”—dictating notes as we walk, asking for directions by speaking to our headphones, or sketching ideas in midair. She calls this the “end of screens” era.
Key takeaways:
Voice & Gesture First: Our next wave of interaction will prioritize speech, gesture, and presence over scrolling.
Attention Fragmentation Risks Remain: Even if screens fade out, AI can still demand our mental bandwidth. We need new guardrails.
Opportunity for True Human Moments: If AI can handle rote tasks (scheduling, searching, even simple brainstorming), humans could reclaim deep work—face-to-face conversations, long dinners, handwritten letters.
Why It Matters:
If screens slip into the background but AI stays front-and-center, we’ll face a new type of distraction: constant, voice-activated interruptions. The question becomes: can we design our days so that AI-powered convenience doesn’t eclipse human-powered presence? In other words, AI might “end screens,” but it shouldn’t end our analog moments.
Read Sinead’s full piece here:
💡 Analog Moment of the Week
Analog Challenge for You:
Inspired by Sinéad’s essay—and my own reflections in my recent Threads post—try this:
Sunrise Unplug: This weekend, wake up 30 minutes before sunrise. No phone, no voice assistant, no email. Instead:
Sit by a window (or step outside) with a pen and paper.
Write down three things you hope to accomplish today—handwritten, without overthinking spelling or grammar.
Take a five-minute walk, noticing how the world gradually brightens.
If you’re with a friend or partner, share your notes verbally—no texting, no screenshot.
Why it matters:
Shutting out the digital hum (even AI-powered “Hey Siri” chimes) for 30 minutes can reanchor your mind in real time. You’ll notice how potent a simple sunrise can be, how clarity emerges when you talk to someone instead of tapping at them.
Let me know: how did it feel to start your day device-free?
Community & Updates
📣 Applications to Analog Social are officially open!
We’re preparing for the launch of the beta community for Analog Social. If you’re a solo founder craving the balance between deep work and deep connections, this will be for you!
✨ Apply to join now → Apply to Analog Social
Community Poll
Since so many people have joined in the past week alone, I want to run this poll again. I’m thinking of hosting Live co-working sessions + Q&A. Vote below:
🪴 Final Thought
As we move toward an AI-mediated future, screens may vanish—but what truly matters is whether we let “always-on” intelligence override our capacity for presence. The end of screens isn’t the end of digital distraction—it’s just the next frontier.
So keep asking: Where will you place your analog boundary? How will you guard a moment for handwritten ideas, for unhurried conversation, for simply being with someone without an algorithm listening in?
Is there an Analog Wellness trend you want covered in the next edition? Comment below or hit reply.
– Shae (@iamshaeo)
Founder, Analog Social
p.s. Analog Social is proudly incubated at Harvard’s Innovation Labs