With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence tools, it has become increasingly tempting to hand over difficult thinking tasks to chatbots, digital assistants, and automated systems.
Today, we are navigating a technological landscape filled with powerful software capable of processing vast amounts of information. Many of these tools promise to think on our behalf, completing tasks that once required time, effort, and concentration.
In just seconds, AI systems such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini can draft emails, write thoughtful birthday messages, or summarize books you haven't had time to read.
While these tools are undeniably convenient, their growing presence has sparked concerns about overreliance on AI. Some researchers worry that excessive dependence on such systems could weaken critical thinking abilities and gradually reduce our cognitive skills.
These concerns are not purely speculative. Research from our laboratory suggests that the online environment often takes advantage of natural cognitive tendencies—differences in how individuals think, focus, remember, and process information.
As a result, some people begin relying on mental shortcuts and engage with information only at a surface level. Other studies have also connected frequent AI use with increased intellectual laziness, higher anxiety, reduced critical engagement, and a sense of dependency.
However, the issue may not be AI itself, but rather how we choose to use it. Humans have always relied on external sources of knowledge. The key is maintaining control over what we outsource and understanding why we do it.
How Knowledge Is Shared
Modern society functions because knowledge is distributed among specialists. Doctors provide medical expertise, engineers design infrastructure, and financial advisors guide investment decisions.
This division of expertise allows each individual to access far more knowledge than they could ever learn alone. Essentially, we constantly balance two processes: offloading and scaffolding.
Offloading occurs when we allow someone—or something else—to perform a thinking task for us. Scaffolding, on the other hand, happens when external sources help support and expand our own understanding.
Education offers a clear example. A teacher does not write an essay for a student. Instead, they provide guidance and feedback that helps the student strengthen their knowledge and thinking skills.
Importantly, we rarely rely entirely on a single source of expertise. Instead, we evaluate whether someone is trustworthy and knowledgeable before accepting their advice. We also compare new information with what we already know.
As our knowledge in a subject grows, we depend less on external support. In the same way, a student gradually becomes independent as their learning progresses.
Thinking Beyond the Brain
At the center of this discussion is cognition—the mental processes that allow us to think, learn, and understand.
Cognition involves three core functions:
- Encoding information, or taking it in so the brain can process it
- Storing that information in memory
- Retrieving it when needed
These processes must work together efficiently. When we are overloaded with information, delegating certain tasks to external tools can reduce mental strain.
Research shows that when our attention is stretched, our brains tend to prioritize encoding information while sacrificing the more demanding tasks of storage and retrieval.
It may seem intuitive that all thinking happens within the brain. Yet cognitive science suggests that our thinking often extends into the environment around us. External tools—including other people, physical objects, and digital devices—can become part of our cognitive system.
For instance, a diary or notebook acts as an extension of memory if we rely on it to recall information we previously recorded.
However, casually outsourcing knowledge gathering and storage to AI systems—such as asking ChatGPT every question that comes to mind—may weaken critical thinking abilities. This happens because the knowledge we personally acquire interacts with new information we encounter. We actively interpret and reshape what we learn in ways that make sense to us.
The more knowledge we hold, the better we become at interpreting new ideas.
Why Mental Effort Still Matters
Maintaining a healthy balance means occasionally choosing to perform difficult thinking tasks ourselves rather than automatically outsourcing them.
The easiest option is not always the most beneficial. Just as walking to a friend's house offers more physical and mental stimulation than driving, engaging deeply with information strengthens our cognitive abilities.
Hard mental work can be rewarding. When using AI tools, we can either control them as helpful assistants or allow them to control our habits of thinking.
One effective approach is to practice reflection after using AI. Ask yourself:
- Do I feel satisfied and proud of what I created?
- Did AI support my thinking, or replace it?
- Did I challenge my mind today, or avoid difficult thinking?
What tasks can I attempt on my own tomorrow to strengthen my mental abilities?
Maintaining a healthy relationship with AI requires actively exercising our thinking skills. If we stop using them, we risk gradually losing them.
The challenge may not always be easy—but it remains firmly within our control.
