In this episode, you'll hear from Dr. Amelia Hruby—author of Your Attention is Sacred, host of Off the Grid, and founder of Softer Sounds—about her decision to take a full year off from using generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude. Amelia shares what prompted her "GPT sobriety," how it's reshaping her relationship with creativity and skill-building, and why the pressure to use AI is actually the result of a massive marketing campaign designed to make us feel left behind. You'll also hear her honest take on harm reduction, why choosing intentional friction matters, and how to resist the pull of tools that promise efficiency but deliver erosion. If you've been wondering whether you have to use AI to keep up—or if there's another way forward—this conversation is for you.

Topics Covered:

• Why Amelia decided to take a full year off from generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, and what "GPT sobriety" actually means in practice
• The parallel between leaving social media five years ago and stepping away from AI now—and why both decisions required confronting the fear of being "left behind"
• How the pressure to adopt AI is not organic but the result of billions of dollars in marketing campaigns from companies like OpenAI and Anthropic
• The cognitive and creative costs of outsourcing tasks to AI, including skill erosion and the loss of the ability to think through problems independently
• Why AI feels different from other productivity tools: it's designed to replace human thought, not assist it
• The labor, environmental, and data privacy harms embedded in mainstream AI tools—and why those harms matter even if we're not directly seeing them
• What harm reduction looks like when you do choose to use AI: setting boundaries, choosing less harmful tools, and staying intentional about where and how you use it
• Alternatives to ChatGPT and other extractive AI platforms, including open-source and nonprofit-driven tools
• How stepping away from AI has made Amelia more creative, not less—and why reclaiming friction is an act of resistance
• Why intentionality matters more than perfection: you don't have to be "sober" to make better choices about your relationship with AI

Resources Mentioned:

• Your Attention is Sacred by Dr. Amelia Hruby
• Mel Mitchell Jackson
• Amelia's list of ChatGPT and Gemini alternatives

Connect with Amelia Hruby:

• AmeliaHruby.com
• Off the Grid: Leaving Social Media podcast

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