We live in an era dominated by immediacy, convenience, and digital consumption. With just a few clicks, we can access entertainment, food, information, and social connection. However, this apparent advantage has been accompanied by an alarming increase in issues such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness. For university students, entrepreneurs, and business owners —groups that heavily rely on technology for productivity and growth— this reality presents a complex challenge: how to find a balance between the efficient use of technology and the preservation of mental and social well-being.

Talking about the adoption and coexistence with artificial intelligence (AI) is, in many ways, to evoke the atmosphere of change depicted in The Leopard, the celebrated novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, also recently adapted by Netflix. In the work, 19th-century Sicily is portrayed, shaken by the unification of Italy —the Risorgimento— a historical event that transformed power structures, social life, and class relations. Analogously, today we witness a similar process with the arrival of AI as a technology capable of reorganizing markets, reshaping professions, and revolutionizing the global economy.

Creativity often starts with the simple, yet daunting, act of giving ourselves permission to explore the unknown. Many of us hold back because we’re uncertain of our talent, afraid we’ll be judged or misunderstood. But creativity is not a luxury or an indulgence, it’s an essential part of how we express ourselves and connect with others. Actor Ethan Hawke once shared a liberating story about poet Allen Ginsberg, who went on live television to sing a Hare Krishna chant while playing the harmonium. People mocked him afterward, but Ginsberg considered it his job as a poet to “play the fool” and disrupt the ordinary. He forced viewers to question and converse, prompting a spark of curiosity instead of settling for the routine drone of daily life.