The Subtle Impact of AI on Our Thinking

Over the past few years, AI has slipped quietly into almost everything we do. It can organize our calendars, draft a message in seconds, or even give a starting point when thinking through an idea.  And the truth is, these tools save time, so I’ve learned to use them everyday. 

But as AI became part of my routine, I started wondering about the role it was beginning to play in my thinking. At some point, a simple question kept coming back to me: “how much of my thinking am I still doing on my own when a tool helps so quickly?”.

That thought pushed me to read more, ask questions, and talk with people who understand this topic far better than I do. I’m not a neuroscientist, but what I learned is that when we delegate too much effort to a system, some abilities like memory, attention or judgment, don’t get exercised as much as they should.

I came across a simple concept that helped me understand this better: cognitive sedentarism. It’s the idea that when a tool solves many of the small thinking steps for us, we stop practicing core cognitive abilities without realizing it. And like anything we don’t use enough, those abilities can weaken over time.

In adults, I see that happening mostly with judgement. One of the most attractive things about these tools is their speed. When you don’t know something, having an answer instantly feels incredible, and it’s a big part of what makes AI so powerful in our daily lives.

But that same speed can create a different habit if we’re not careful. I’ve seen people accept an AI response as if it were unquestionable, without stopping to think about whether it actually fits the context. I’ve noticed it in conversations with friends too: “ChatGPT said it” it’s used almost like a closing argument. It’s not that the tool is wrong, it’s that the immediate acceptance leaves no space for our own judgment.

And that’s the part I believe we need to pay close attention to. When we skip the pause, the check, the small moment of reflection, judgment gets softer without even noticing.

When it comes to kids and teenagers, I notice things that are a bit different. They’re growing up with AI from the start, and that changes how they approach everyday decisions. 

I’ve seen small moments that made me think about this, for example a little girl asking ChatGPT which ice-cream flavor to pick and a boy asking what to reply to a friend after an argument. These moments sound small, but they show how naturally kids can lean on a tool when it’s always there.

At school, something similar happens. AI can help them write or organize ideas quickly, but part of learning comes from trying, making mistakes, and finding your way through a topic. When everything is solved instantly, they might lose some of that practice.

All of this makes me think about my nephew and how different his world is from the one I grew up in. AI can support a lot of what he learns, but he still needs space to think, explore, and decide on his own.

How I Stay Present While Using AI

Over time, I’ve tried to be more intentional about how I use these tools, not in a forced way but in small habits that keep me present in the thinking process. For example, sometimes I force myself to make sense of something on my own before asking AI, because I’ve noticed that the first attempt, even if it’s rough, helps me understand the topic better.

I’ve also learned to pause for a moment when the answer looks too perfect. A quick check or a second question is usually enough to make sure I’m not accepting something just because it sounds right. That’s what keeps my judgement active. 

With kids, I think the approach is similar. They don’t need rules, they just need room to try, to get things wrong and to figure things out without everything being solved in seconds. That balance makes space for them to learn in a way that technology can support, but not replace.

Thinking through all of this hasn’t changed my view on the value that AI brings. These tools genuinely help us work faster and access information in ways that weren’t possible before. What did change is the attention I pay to the moments where I move too quickly, accept an answer too fast, or skip a step I would normally think through.

So, I don’t think the answer is to step away from AI. It’s learning to stay present while using it. If we keep that balance, we can rely on these systems without losing the parts of thinking that make our judgment, our ideas, and our decisions genuinely our own.