A Big Idea We Can’t Let Go Of
Why Joy Still Matters in an AI World That’s Trying to Save the Planet, and How It Gives Us the Energy To Be Better Humans To Each Other
Imagine this:
You wake up tomorrow, open your inbox, and there’s an article waiting for you. Not a generic broadcast, but something that feels tuned into what your nervous system has been trying to tell you. It knows you’ve been carrying too much. It knows your mind runs faster than your body can keep up. It knows that even your coffee is tired of being your emotional support beverage.
And instead of telling you to optimize your workflow or become a shinier version of yourself, it asks a quieter question:
What would bring you joy today, not efficiency, not self-improvement, but actual energy-giving joy?
That question is the spark behind this entire project.
It is also the big idea we can’t let go of.
Because the more we watch AI transform how we work, relate, and grow, the more convinced we become that the next real frontier isn’t intelligence. It’s energy.
The kind that makes us more alive.
The kind that makes us more ourselves.
The kind that actually helps us be better humans in our relationships, not just more productive ones at our desks.
But here’s the tension:
How do we use AI to support mental well-being, cultivate joy, and restore human-to-human energy without degrading the environment we depend on?
That’s the thread we want to pull on here.
Joy Isn’t a Luxury. It’s an Energy Source.
Most people think of joy as a nice-to-have, like dessert after the “real” work of being functioning adults. But psychologically, joy is much closer to an energy technology. It regulates our systems, restores our capacity to connect, and refuels the emotional batteries we use in every relationship we care about.
Joy doesn’t just feel good.
Joy is what makes us capable.
Capable of listening instead of reacting.
Capable of reaching out instead of shutting down.
Capable of giving without collapsing.
If we’ve ever been burned out, we know the opposite. Everything becomes harder, thinking, relating, loving. Even the people we care about most can feel like “one more thing.” You know that moment when someone texts “can we talk?” and you briefly consider moving to another continent? Exactly.
This is why joy matters so much.
Joy replenishes the energy that lets us be good partners, good friends, good parents, good colleagues. Good humans.
And many of us have been running low.
This is where AI, surprisingly, can help.
AI as an Energy-Regulation Tool
We rarely talk about AI as something that can help calm us down. Usually it’s portrayed as a productivity machine, a creativity amplifier, or occasionally a misunderstood superintelligence that just wants to tidy up the internet.
But AI also has the potential to become a kind of external nervous-system support structure.
Not in a clinical sense.
More like a companion that helps us:
calm our systems when we’re overloaded,
name what we’re feeling when it’s a soup of emotions with no label,
notice patterns that drain our energy,
and remember the tiny rituals that restore us.
Picture this:
It’s 10:30pm. We’re not melting down, but we’re also not okay. We’re emotionally out of fuel. This is the moment many of us start doom-scrolling, eating toast over the sink, or giving ourselves a TED Talk about how tomorrow will be different.
Now imagine an AI companion gently catching us before the spiral begins:
“You’re not failing. You’re tired. Your body needs grounding more than answers. Try two slow breaths. I’ll wait.”
Not replacing human relationships. Supporting them.
Not giving us more to do. Giving us more energy to show up as ourselves.
This kind of everyday nervous-system scaffolding could fundamentally change how we relate to each other. When our energy is steadier, our humanity is more available.
But this leads us to the uncomfortable part.
The Environmental Tension
We can’t talk about AI and well-being without acknowledging the cost: compute, electricity, water, infrastructure. Tools that help our inner world can still strain the outer world we depend on.
It’s a paradox we can’t ignore.
We want technology that heals us.
But we can’t heal ourselves with tools that hurt the planet.
And yet the story isn’t predetermined.
AI doesn’t have to be extractive.
There is a quiet but growing movement toward:
smaller, more efficient models,
renewable-energy data centers,
local on-device AI,
and architectures that sip resources instead of chugging them like a college student with a Red Bull.
The real question becomes:
Can we build AI that gives humans energy without draining the planet’s?
We believe the answer is yes.
But it requires intention, both technological and human.
Three Questions Guiding Simcha
These are the questions we’re exploring here, the questions we believe we need to wrestle with together:
1. How can AI help us generate more human energy, not less?
Not hustle energy. Not adrenaline energy.
The kind of internal spaciousness that lets us show up generously with the people we care about.
2. What does sustainable emotional technology look like?
Can we design tools that soothe our systems and also lighten our planetary footprint?
Can the tech that helps us heal also model sustainability in its own architecture?
3. How do we build a future where joy, not output, is the metric?
Joy fuels energy.
Energy fuels connection.
Connection fuels humanity.
This is the feedback loop worth architecting
and probably the only loop we’re truly excited to get stuck in.
A Small Practice for This Week
Before the next post, try this:
Once a day, ask yourself: “What tiny moment would give me energy right now?”
Not a big transformation.
Not a lifestyle overhaul.
Just an energy spark.
Step outside for 30 seconds
Text someone “thinking of you ❤️”
Drink cold water slowly
Look at the sky
Put your phone down for one deep breath
Or, if all else fails, pet a dog, borrow a dog, or look at a picture of a dog
Joy and energy are often the same thing.
And restoring even a little makes us more present, more open, more human with the people we love.
If this resonates, you’re in the right place.
Simcha is about joy as fuel, AI as support, and sustainability as the boundary that keeps both honest.
Simcha AI is about becoming more human, not in spite of technology, but with it.
And the story has only just begun.