AI and Air Fryers

“You have to try it out! It can do all sorts of things.”
“But I already have something that can do that…”
“Yeah, but look at all of these posts about people doing all of those things… but using _______!”

Sadly, the above exchange applies to a lot of trends today, but for now let us focus on air fryers and Artificial Intelligence.

Recently my family finally jumped on the air fryer bandwagon after months of hearing friends talk about all the amazing meals they were making with it. To be fair, it is compact, convenient, and great for quick or small tasks. Reheating pizza? Perfect. Making Chick-fil-A nuggets on a Sunday? Absolutely. Beyond that, however, it starts to fall off pretty quickly for us.

With a family of seven, every meal is a banquet. Just making breaded chicken required three separate 15-minute batches because the basket could only hold three chicken breasts at a time. Add onto that my wife’s belief that “the more dishes used to make dinner, the better the dinner will be,” and suddenly the air fryer is just another tool in an already full kitchen. It is not that the air fryer is bad. It is just that we already have tools that accomplish the same things, at the scale we actually need.

And that is exactly how I see AI in its current state.

I truly believe AI will continue to evolve, mature, and change how we work over time. New technology always does. However, right now it often feels like another shiny appliance everyone swears we desperately need, simply because they are excited about what it can do. Yes, AI can create content, analyze data, summarize information, and surface insights. But the real question is this:

Does it make sense for you, your team, and your organization?

Much like my air fryer, AI absolutely has a place in the corporate “kitchen.” I plan to use it where it genuinely helps. But I am also not going to suddenly force it into every process simply because it exists. Not every problem requires it. Not every situation benefits from it. Bigger, more complex initiatives still require intentional planning, coordination, and people who understand context and nuance.

Another point I talk about often is the fear that AI will replace people. I do not see us there. What I do see is AI following a similar path as automation and workflows. These tools were never meant to eliminate workers. They were meant to reduce repetitive, manual tasks so that humans could focus on strategic thinking, problem solving, creativity, and human interaction. AI feels like that next evolution. When trained well and applied thoughtfully, it will streamline work, highlight patterns, identify potential risks, and enhance decision-making. But it does not replace the human element that is required to understand customers, build relationships, lead teams, or drive meaningful change.

If there is one takeaway from both the air fryer and AI I would say that it is that new tools are only valuable when they solve the problems you actually have, not just the problems people tell you that you should have. There is nothing magical about the tool itself. The value comes from understanding your needs, your scale, your challenges, and then choosing the right solution for the job. AI will absolutely continue to evolve and find its place in meaningful, practical ways. For now, I will keep using it where it makes sense, ignore it where it does not, and remember that just because something is new and exciting does not mean it instantly replaces what already works.