Let’s get one thing straight. That shiny new AI you’re using to write emails and brainstorm ideas isn’t some magical brain in a box. It’s a mirror. And while you might like the reflection it shows you, it could be hiding a dangerous truth.
Scientists at MIT recently hooked people’s brains up to scanners while they used ChatGPT. The results are a huge red flag. Sure, people finished their work way faster. But their brain activity—the part that does the actual heavy lifting of thinking and learning—took a nosedive. By almost 50%.
They wrote essays that were technically perfect but were called “soulless” and “robotic.” Even worse, they couldn’t remember what they’d written just minutes earlier. They gained speed, but they lost their grip.
The Smart Mirror and the Echo Chamber
So, why does using AI feel so good? Why does it make you feel like a genius?
Because it’s designed to agree with you. But… “You have to be smarter than the ball.” ~ Jim Bouton
Asking an AI for help is like looking into a smart mirror. You ask it a question, and it reflects your own ideas and biases back to you, just prettier and more well-spoken. It’s the ultimate confirmation machine. You feel brilliant because you’re essentially having a conversation with yourself, and you’re always right.
This is a fast track to the Dunning-Kruger effect—a state of being so clueless that you don’t even know you’re clueless. You start to believe the reflection is reality. You start to think you’re an expert, when you’re really just an expert at getting an AI to tell you what you want to hear.
Haven’t We Seen This Movie Before?
If this all sounds familiar, it should.
Remember when calculators first showed up in school? It was awesome. But it created a whole group of people who proudly said, “Why do I need to learn long division? I have a calculator.”
Then came Google. “Why do I need to memorize that? I can just Google it.”
Now it’s AI. And the excuse is the same, but the stakes are much, much higher. A calculator can’t do your thinking for you, but AI can. And it’s so good at faking it that you might not even notice your own brainpower starting to rust.
The Fork in the Road: Are You a Tool User or Are You Getting Replaced?
Right now, a huge divide is splitting the workforce in two.
On one side, you have the Tool Users. These are the people who use AI like a power tool. A construction worker still needs to know how to build a house; a nail gun just helps him do it faster. Tool Users use AI to handle the boring stuff so they can focus on the big picture, on strategy, on the human stuff AI can’t touch.
On the other side, you have The Replaced. These are the people who use AI as a crutch. They let the AI do the thinking. Their skills get dull, their unique voice disappears, and they slowly make themselves obsolete. They become the person who just pushes the button.
And that “productivity” everyone is talking about? Here’s the dirty secret: it means companies won’t need ten people for a job anymore. They’ll need one “Tool User” armed with AI to do the work of all ten. If you’re not that person, you’re in trouble.
The Game Plan: Use the Tool, Don’t Be the Tool
So what’s the solution? Don’t throw your computer out the window. I love AI. But I also love ice cream, and I know I can’t eat it for every meal.
The key is simple: Learn the fundamentals first.
This is our entire mission at Launch Tools Development and our Launch Tools Academy. We believe AI should be an accelerator, not a replacement. We teach our students and clients how to think like a programmer, a problem-solver, and a strategist before we show them how to use AI to put those skills into overdrive.
You have to build the muscle before you can expect to lift heavy weights.
So, the next time you open up that AI chat window, ask yourself a question. Are you looking for a tool to help you think better, or are you looking in the mirror for an easy answer?
Your career, and your brain, depend on the answer. You have to be smarter than the ball.
Originally posted @ https://sekol.ninja/warning-your-ai-assistant-might-be-making-you-dumber/