ATHENS – At a time when electronic devices seem like extensions of our hands and the digital world often overwhelms the real one, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) created an event evoking a traditional Greek coffeehouse. Mobile phones stay outside while visitors are invited in to focus on ‘the moment’ – and the human connections it offers.
This is ‘To Kefeneio tou Gianni’ – Gianni’s Café – a digital detox space operating as part of the SNF Nostos 2026 Festival in a specially designed area of the Stavros Niarchos Park. The National Herald visited the venue the evening of June 24.
Upon entering, visitors are asked to place their mobile phones in a special pouch that prevents their use while inside the Kafeneio. And that is where the real experience begins – interaction, communication, and enjoyment rooted in the present moment.
Throughout the weeklong SNF Nostos 2026, To Kefeneio tou Gianni operates from morning until afternoon with an open program for adults, offering materials for embroidery, origami, and coloring books. From late afternoon onward, the schedule includes lessons in ‘prefa’ (a traditional Greek card game), backgammon, workshops for making Abayomi dolls from recycled fabrics, and Greek dance lessons. The evenings are for folk, traditional, and rebetiko music, as well as discussions featuring Greek-American former U.S. Congressman John Sarbanes – Gianni! – and other distinguished guests on the subject of Artificial Intelligence.
Attendance at ‘To Kefeneio tou Gianni’ the evening of June 25 was high. The program included a discussion on Artificial Intelligence, followed by live rebetiko music. (Photo: TNH/Eirini Zachariadis)
On June 24, following the afternoon coffee gathering and the Abayomi doll-making workshop, attendees of all ages had the opportunity at dusk to watch a fascinating discussion titled ‘Humans versus Artificial Intelligence: Revolution or Coexistence?’
The conversation featured Sarbanes, historian Mark Mazower, and Efi Vayena, professor at ETH Zurich and co-director of the Stavros Niarchos Bioethics Academy.
Attendance was strong, and the audience remained engaged and attentive. It was a somewhat unusual situation for our era, as Sarbanes himself noted during the evening: there were no mobile phone distractions.
Among the topics discussed were technological developments and the human factor, the opportunities and risks associated with Artificial Intelligence, and the challenges involved in creating an appropriate legal framework for its regulation.
Afterward, attendees enjoyed traditional appetizers accompanied by beloved rebetiko songs performed by Giannis Zarias (violin, baglamas), Vasilis Skoutas (three-string bouzouki, vocals), and Dimitris Mitarakis (guitar, vocals).
