The use of chatbots is witnessing a significant increase in the handling of simple daily tasks, such as writing messages or replying to emails, instead of users performing them directly.
However, despite the ease of use of these tools, there is a downside: the cessation of tasks requiring critical thinking, creativity, and decision-making may, over time, weaken the “mental muscles” responsible for these skills.
According to a report published by Business Insider, as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into daily work, some researchers suggest that over-reliance on it may gradually diminish employees’ skills.
This is causing concern among a segment of the workforce. A survey conducted by Workday last year, involving approximately 2,950 employees, revealed that nearly half of the respondents feared that relying on AI agents would lead to a decline in their critical thinking skills.
Conversely, some experts believe this concern is not new, but rather recurs with every major technological revolution, as Anurag Dhingra of Cisco explained, pointing to the recurring question of whether reliance on technology makes us less capable of critical thinking.
However, according to some specialists, the answer is not necessarily yes. Majid Ftouhi, a professor at Johns Hopkins University specializing in neuroplasticity, believes that the negative use of technology can weaken critical thinking, while the proper use of artificial intelligence can help stimulate the mind and improve information analysis.
Based on this, experts and academics offer a range of methods to help reduce reliance on artificial intelligence and maintain mental activity. These include delving into specific topics rather than simply skimming information, through in-depth reading or enrolling in training courses that require sustained focus, thus fostering continuous critical thinking.
Experts also advise starting the mental process without direct reliance on artificial intelligence, such as writing initial drafts or basic ideas yourself before using smart tools for review or refinement. This helps preserve the role of the mind in the production process.
Experts also emphasize the importance of continuously training the mind through new activities and mental challenges, such as learning different skills, testing memory, or undertaking tasks that require greater focus and effort, as challenging thinking contributes to building genuine skills in the long run.
In the same vein, experts advise pausing before using artificial intelligence tools and first considering the purpose of the question or task and how the results will be used, rather than quickly relying on ready-made answers without analysis.
Experts stress the importance of not accepting AI outputs at face value, but rather reviewing them and verifying their accuracy, while attempting to explain the resulting ideas in one’s own words. The ability to re-explain demonstrates genuine understanding, not mere copying.
