How National AI Day Skipped a 30,000-Request Queue

National AI Day, by executive decision

It started with an email reminder about the fast-approaching National AI Day on July 16. That sent the writer looking for who actually decided this was a national day — and why.

The answer: Marlo Anderson, founder of National Day Calendar.com, who admits National AI Day did not follow the usual path.

“We have about 30,000 applications a year for new national days. From that, we have a committee of people look at them,” said National Day Calendar.com founder Marlo Anderson.

Skipping the usual 30,000-app review

Anderson launched National Day Calendar in 2013. The site only adds a handful of new days each year, and he acknowledged some people already think there are too many. He said he might agree with them.

National AI Day, designated on their calendar in 2025, bypassed the committee process. Anderson said he’s been using AI for 20 years and relies on it heavily in the business, which shaped his thinking.

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“We just figured having an AI day would be appropriate,” he said, admitting he did the designating.

He believes the idea may have been suggested previously, but he couldn’t specifically recall the details.

How AI runs National Day Calendar’s “mundane” work

Anderson argues AI already does enough real work to justify a dedicated day. He pointed to how the company pushes content to a video syndication platform.

He said AI now handles uploading the National Day Calendar’s daily videos to Video Elephant — 100 clips as he was speaking. Manually, that would take two weeks; with AI, it’s “just one day or two.”

“If we have an agentic AI that can handle that workload for us, we should probably do it.”

The tools he actually uses

Anderson spreads work across multiple platforms:

• Claude for app development and website maintenance
• ChatGPT Voice for brainstorming projects
• Gemini in the National Day Calendar offices in North Dakota

He described himself as a firm believer in AI’s potential both for his business and as a broader force for good.

Backlash, cheese sandwiches, and the climate debate

A recent study found 40% of surveyed people are limiting their use of AI. Anderson said pushback is a regular topic.

“We talk about it all the time,” he said, but added, “We get backlash on National Cheese Sandwich Day and French Fry Day,” suggesting he’s not convinced AI criticism is uniquely intense compared to other quirky observances.

On environmental concerns, Anderson acknowledged the arguments around AI’s impact but said he believes the benefits outweigh the negatives.

“I also understand there’s a lot of benefit,” he said, pointing to the ability to find medical cures and claiming they’re making “remarkable progress right now” in medicine.

Horses, cars, and a long view on AI

To frame where AI is now, Anderson went historical. He noted that in 1912 many people still rode horses, which were dangerous in their own right, while early cars weren’t much safer without traffic infrastructure.

“Most people would agree a car is a better way to travel,” he said, adding that we’re currently “at the same crossroads with Artificial Intelligence.”

The decision to create National AI Day in 2025 came down to ubiquity and staying power.

“The conversation had heightened to a point where probably everyone knows about AI, at least in the US. Everyone is probably using it, whether they know it or not,” he told the writer.

He contrasted that with short-lived trends.

When goat yoga was popular, Anderson said they received many requests to make it a day. They declined, assuming it would be a fad — while stressing he’s sure it’s “wonderful.”

“20 years from now, no one will know or talk about goat yoga, but 20 years from now, they will be talking about AI.”

So if you care to mark it, National AI Day lands on July 16 — whether you’re using AI, deriding it, or ignoring it entirely.