What Are Your Plans for AI Appreciation Day? Engadget's Take Says Skip It

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

July 16 marks AI Appreciation Day, a designated occasion for recognizing “the most consequential technology in human history.” But not everyone is celebrating. In a recent Engadget opinion piece, staff writer Jackson Chen argues that the day is little more than a marketing gimmick — and that our attention would be better spent on genuine human experiences.

What Is AI Appreciation Day?

AI Appreciation Day falls on July 16 each year and was created to encourage people to intentionally recognize the impact of artificial intelligence on society and industry. According to the official website, suggested ways to participate include thanking someone who builds or maintains AI systems, talking to a child or skeptic about the technology, signing a pledge, and adding the day to your calendar.

The day bills itself alongside other novelty holidays like National Hot Dog Day or National Doughnut Day — but without the free food. The difference, as Chen points out, is that AI Appreciation Day asks for genuine engagement with the technology rather than just surface-level participation.

The Case Against Celebrating

Chen’s central argument is that AI Appreciation Day puts the technology front and center at the expense of what makes us human. Rather than spending July 16 burning through tokens with an AI chatbot or thanking algorithms, the piece suggests several alternatives:

Support local artists by buying their work instead of using AI-generated content
Spend time in nature — swim in a natural body of water before it’s impacted by the data centers powering AI infrastructure
Reconnect with friends instead of relying on AI companions for conversation

“It’s AI Appreciation Day on July 16 and we’re all left wondering who asked for this,” Chen writes, capturing the skeptical tone that runs throughout the article. The piece describes the official celebration ideas as sounding “satirical” despite being “very much real recommendations.”

A Broader Cultural Debate

The Engadget piece taps into a growing cultural divide around artificial intelligence. As generative AI tools have become mainstream — from ChatGPT and Claude to image generators and video synthesis platforms — questions about when and how to celebrate technological progress have become more pointed.

AI proponents argue that recognizing the technology’s achievements is appropriate given its transformative impact on healthcare, scientific research, accessibility, and productivity. Critics like Chen counter that the technology is being over-hyped by corporations with commercial interests, and that “AI slop” has already begun to degrade the quality of online content and creative work.

The Verdict

Whether you mark AI Appreciation Day on your calendar or ignore it entirely, the debate it sparks is worth having. The technology isn’t going anywhere, but how we choose to engage with it — and whether we save a day to celebrate it — says a lot about our relationship with AI as a society.

Chen’s closing recommendation is blunt: instead of celebrating AI, embrace the human experiences that make life worth living. “These are just a few tangible things that we should be appreciating on July 16, instead of AI.”

Image: Pixabay (connection, hand, human, robot, touch) — a fitting visual metaphor for the relationship between humanity and artificial intelligence.

Ai-Culture on Know the Tech

What Are Your Plans for AI Appreciation Day? Engadget's Take Says Skip It

What Is AI Appreciation Day?

The Case Against Celebrating

A Broader Cultural Debate

The Verdict