Mallorca prize winner warns AI can blunt our minds

On Mallorca, Portuguese writer Gonçalo M. Tavares warns that artificial intelligence (AI) can leave people out of practice at thinking for themselves. Speaking at a press conference in Formentor, Mallorca, on Sunday, 1 November 2026, he says the danger lies in how easy it is to let AI write or analyse something for us. Tavares is due to receive the 2026 Premio Formentor literary prize that evening.

The habit of thinking

Tavares likens relying on AI to staying on the sofa rather than getting up to change the television channel: people can make the effort, but convenience wins. He also blames smartphones and social media for a loss of concentration. He says he does not use social media himself.

Thinking and language need daily practice, he argues. As a child, he could solve complex maths problems; without that practice, he says, he could not solve the same problems now.

Why words matter beyond books

Tavares says poverty and a poor command of language make it harder to take part in democracy. Someone who is hungry, or cannot find the words to express a thought, faces a barrier to public life.

He also criticises reducing difficult questions to a simple yes or no. In his view, that leaves people less able to challenge extremist ideas. The award ceremony is scheduled to begin at 20.00 at the Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor.

Topics: Culture

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com