Mania, Inc.: Adil Mania wants to turn AI into a wonder machine

Adil Mania is launching Mania, Inc. in Los Angeles, an entertainment company that aims to explore another side of AI, far from the obsession with productivity.

While the artificial intelligence industry promises to save us more and more time, Adil Mania is taking the opposite approach. Based in Los Angeles, the entrepreneur has just unveiled Mania, Inc., which he introduces with a deliberately provocative line: “The greatest AI company ever built to waste your time, instead of saving it.” In other words, an AI company designed to make us waste time rather than save it.

Behind this statement lies an ambition: to restore technology's ability to surprise, entertain, and bring people together. Adil Mania believes that AI was too quickly associated with productivity, automation, and efficiency. In his launch manifesto, he shares his wonder upon discovering ChatGPT in 2022, before regretting that the technology was primarily put to work for daily tasks. For him, the point is not just to save time, but to better enjoy the time we have.

Originally from Rabat, having spent time in France and then San Francisco, this is not Adil Mania's first venture. After StartupOKLM and the Paris creative space anomalie.space, he founded Silicon Mania, a media outlet combining videos, a magazine, and shows centered on tech culture. With Mania, Inc., he steps outside this editorial framework to explore entertainment more broadly, with the stated ambition of building a company comparable in influence to Disney.

The launch takes the form of a narrative experience on mania.inc. Orchestral music, voiceover narration, animations, and a personal story make up an interactive manifesto in which the entrepreneur reflects on his relationship with magic, from his childhood memories to the discovery of generative AI. The site also offers spaces to learn about the founder, participate in an experience, and join the team.

For now, Mania, Inc. mostly presents a vision. No catalog of productions or consumer services has been revealed yet. Nevertheless, its positioning hints at a desire to use AI for something other than producing more content at a lower cost. “Make Life Magic Again” summarizes this intent: placing imagination and the human experience back at the center of technology. It remains to be seen how this promise will take shape.