In an era when nearly every human interaction is mediated by a glowing screen, Aziz Ansari has made a deliberate and rather unconventional choice: he’s rejecting the omnipresence of digital life in favor of something refreshingly old-fashioned — an analog existence. During a recent appearance on the podcast “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” which aired on a Tuesday episode, the comedian spoke at length about his self-described Luddite habits and offered candid reflections on why he feels such resistance toward technologies like ChatGPT.

Ansari revealed that his retreat from online life has been gradual but resolute. He confessed to Amy Poehler that he has completely abandoned email, a decision he has maintained for about a decade. This doesn’t mean he exists in total isolation from correspondence — he works with an assistant who manages such necessities. Still, his personal detachment from digital communication represents a conscious boundary between his private creativity and the incessant noise of the internet. Yet, as Ansari explained, this unplugged philosophy extends far beyond his inbox.

Continuing his conversation, the comedian explained that he relies not on the sleek touchscreen convenience of a smartphone, but on a flip phone, a relic from a pre-Instagram era. When lost, he said, he doesn’t turn to Google Maps or location-sharing. Instead, he either searches for help from strangers nearby or calls his wife directly, a routine so familiar to her that she has come to expect the occasional disoriented phone call. His anecdotes illustrate a kind of digital humility — a willingness to embrace the small inconveniences that most people today take great pains to avoid.

When it comes to transportation, Ansari’s analog adherence remains intact. Rather than ordering a car with the tap of an app, he prefers to hail a taxi the old-fashioned way. If none happens to pass by, he simply contacts a cab company by phone. It’s a rhythm of life defined by patience and engagement, as opposed to frictionless convenience.

Ansari was careful to emphasize that this deliberate distancing from technology isn’t rooted in nostalgia alone. He spoke of its psychological rewards: living low-tech grants him what he calls mental space — an uncluttered field of thought that nurtures creativity rather than stifles it. He referenced filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan, both reportedly known for rejecting digital distractions, noting that these creative powerhouses manage to produce extraordinary work without the constant ping of notifications. For Ansari, their examples confirmed that perhaps the absence of hyperconnectivity fosters a greater depth of focus and originality.

His skepticism, however, isn’t limited to devices; it extends to artificial intelligence. With a tone of concern, Ansari expressed reservations about ChatGPT and similar tools that he believes may diminish independent thinking. According to him, relying too heavily on AI for ideas or opinions risks creating intellectual homogeny — where everyone’s thoughts begin to sound eerily alike. Moreover, he pointed out that beyond its potential inaccuracies, such technology tends to reinforce users’ preexisting biases, ultimately narrowing, rather than expanding, the human mind.

Ansari illustrated this viewpoint with a vivid example. He once watched a commercial in which someone used ChatGPT to plan a dinner for a romantic date. To him, this kind of reliance on software for deeply human tasks underscored a worrying trend: choosing algorithmic guidance over authentic human interaction. In his eyes, picking up the phone to ask a friend for advice or engaging in spontaneous conversation embodies something fundamentally human — a warmth and unpredictability that no AI can replicate. As he put it, outsourcing thought to a machine feels like surrendering a vital part of one’s humanity.

In a September interview with *People*, Ansari acknowledged that fully detaching from the digital grid isn’t realistic for everyone. He recognized that his ability to live this way is intertwined with both privilege and the flexibility of his creative career. While he doesn’t expect others to follow his exact path, he credits this analog approach with preserving his mental clarity and creative energy, virtues essential to his craft as a writer and performer.

When reached for comment, Ansari’s representative did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s inquiry, which had been submitted outside regular working hours. Nonetheless, Ansari’s remarks join a growing chorus of public figures who have openly discussed their preference for detachment from constant digital engagement.

For instance, filmmaker Christopher Nolan revealed in a 2023 interview that he avoids smartphones and email entirely, instead choosing to write scripts on a computer kept offline — a deliberate boundary that allows his storytelling process to flourish uninterrupted. Similarly, country icon Dolly Parton admitted during an appearance on *The View* that she continues to rely on fax machines rather than digital messaging, explaining that staying disconnected helps her preserve her time and sanity in an age of overwhelming communication demands. Actor Christopher Walken echoed these sentiments in a January interview with *The Wall Street Journal*, sharing that his relationship with modern technology is virtually nonexistent. He owns no cellphone, avoids email entirely, and even views television through DVDs mailed to him.

This resistance to digital dependency is not just confined to Hollywood’s upper echelons. Everyday individuals, too, are increasingly seeking reprieve from the constant alerts and scrolling that dominate contemporary existence. In a May report published by Business Insider, regular readers described trading in their smartphones for so-called “dumb phones” as a way to reclaim time, attention, and meaningful presence in their daily lives. Among younger generations, even more radical gestures have emerged — some members of Gen Z have literally chained their smartphones to walls, transforming them into improvised landlines to curb compulsive checking.

Across celebrities and civilians alike, there appears to be a quiet cultural awakening — a reexamination of what it truly means to remain connected. Aziz Ansari’s choice to step away from email, smartphones, and AI tools may seem unconventional in a world obsessed with constant interaction, yet his reflections invite a larger question: in our pursuit of digital convenience, how much of our ability to think, to create, and to truly live have we surrendered?

Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/aziz-ansari-flip-phone-no-email-chatgpt-luddite-smartphone-ai-2025-10