AI Is Making Us Dumber? My Shocking Experiment!

One of the most interesting things about technology is its immense effect on critical thinking. This has been evident since the internet became mainstream, especially with the rise of search engines and instant access to information.

Today, the world faces more disinformation than ever before—far more than during the radio and television eras, when narratives were tightly controlled. Now, AI applications have taken center stage, further exacerbating the decline in critical thinking and the spread of misinformation.

Just this week, reports from Microsoft highlighted that Copilot tools have negatively impacted employees’ ability to think critically.

Personally, I agree. I relied on AI for three months to speed up my workflow, but I soon realized I was no longer an active participant in the problem-solving process. The mental work that I would typically engage in was instead offloaded to AI. If the AI provided a working solution, I simply moved on without reflecting on the reasoning behind it.

Once I recognized this, I canceled my subscription and returned to my old ways of solving problems. I’m already lacking in certain areas—so I thought, why not use AI to improve in those instead?

One tool I found particularly helpful was DeepSeek’s reasoning feature. When working through a math problem or a coding algorithm, I used it to structure my thought process and verbalize my reasoning step by step. It turned out to be an invaluable exercise—helping me articulate my thoughts more clearly, both in my mind and out loud.

For anyone looking to sharpen their critical thinking, practicing "thinking out loud" can be incredibly beneficial. AI can be a great tool, but only if we remain conscious of how we use it.

How are you using AI to your advantage?