Is AI Making Us Lazy—Or Freeing Us to Think Bigger?

Every time a new technology comes along, someone sounds the alarm: “This will ruin our brains.” We heard it with calculators. With the internet. Even with the printing press.

And now, with AI.

I’ve heard it a dozen times just this month:

“If we all start using AI, won’t we stop thinking for ourselves?”

It’s a fair question. But here’s another way to look at it:

Most of us don’t grow our own food anymore. In fact, most of us wouldn’t last a month off-grid. Does that mean we’re less capable as humans?

Or does it mean we’ve evolved—giving up some survival tasks to focus on something greater?

That shift—from survival to strategy, from labor to learning—has always been part of progress. AI is just the next step.

Cognitive Offloading Isn’t New

Researchers call this “cognitive offloading”: using tools to store or process information so our brains don’t have to. Notebooks, calculators, even sticky notes are all examples.

AI just happens to be more powerful and immediate.

Studies show that when we offload routine tasks—like math calculations or grammar checks—we free up working memory and mental energy for big-picture thinking and creativity.

“Technology is not dumbing us down. It’s shifting the kinds of intelligence we use.”— Risko & Gilbert, Trends in Cognitive Sciences (2016)

But Let’s Not Pretend There’s No Risk

There is a downside to offloading without intention. Research has found that:

• Heavy GPS users have worse spatial memory over time(Dahmani & Bohbot, 2020)

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• Automation overreliance can lead to critical thinking atrophy(Parasuraman & Riley, 1997)

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When we stop engaging with a skill entirely, we lose it.

But that’s not AI’s fault—it’s how we choose to use it.

Evolution Means Letting Go of Something

There’s no growth without trade-offs. The question is: what are you willing to give up to grow into something new?

• Farmers gave up nomadic life to build civilization.

• We gave up memorizing phone numbers to make room for global connectivity.

• We may give up writing first drafts by hand to focus on better ideas and strategy.

This doesn’t mean we lose intelligence. It means we shift which intelligence we prioritize.

There Are Many Kinds of Intelligence

Our society often fixates on logic, math, and language as the core of “intelligence.” But psychologist Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences reminds us there’s also:

• Emotional intelligence

• Social intelligence

• Kinesthetic, musical, spatial intelligence

• And more

If AI writes your blog post draft or summarizes research, that doesn’t mean you’re thinking less. It means you now have the space to deepen your insight, to connect with others, or to explore your creativity more fully.

The Real Task: Finding Your Balance

AI is neither savior nor villain. It’s a tool—powerful, fast, and yes, a bit intimidating.

But so was fire.

And just like fire, how we use it determines what kind of world we build with it.

Some will use AI to escape thinking.

Others will use it to supercharge their thinking.

The future belongs to the latter.

Final Thought

If you’re worried about AI making people lazy, ask yourself this:

What will you do with the time and energy it frees up?

The answer isn’t about AI. It’s about you.