This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on September 21, 2026 - September 27, 2026

AS workers of the 21st century, we are fortunate to enjoy the convenience that artificial intelligence (AI) brings. With just a question — even if poorly phrased or riddled with typos — ChatGPT can provide an answer within seconds. With Claude’s assistance, tasks such as extracting and tabulating data and transferring it into spreadsheets have also never been easier.

Nonetheless, workers today should ask themselves whether they have become too reliant on AI, to the point of subconsciously outsourcing their thinking to machines. They should also consider whether this reliance has dulled their problem-solving skills.

An article published by the BBC in April, titled “AI chatbots could be making you stupider”, reported on research by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) examining how generative AI affects the human brain. The findings were eye-opening.

Students who were recruited to write open-ended short essays requiring minimal research were split into three groups. The first group used ChatGPT, the second used Google Search without AI-generated summaries and the third wrote without using technology. While they worked, their brainwaves were measured.

The brainwaves of those who did not use any technology showed widespread activity across many parts of the brain. The search engine group showed strong activity in the visual parts of the brain while those using ChatGPT showed brain activity that was reduced by up to 55%.

Memory retention among those who used ChatGPT was also poorer, with students unable to quote from their own essays, according to the article.

Other researchers have also found a correlation between increased AI usage and lower critical-thinking scores. In a collaborative study by researchers from Microsoft Corp and Carnegie Mellon University, participants reported doing “much less” or putting in “less effort” across cognitive activities that involved critical thinking.

The concern is that over-reliance on AI could put a ceiling on our thought processes and critical thinking abilities, thereby limiting our problem-solving skills instead of enhancing them.

It could also create a generation of workers who may not fully understand the output of their work because AI tools have done the legwork and heavy lifting, yet are still able to produce decent results.

Yet, the problems associated with reduced critical thinking could well be connected to how one uses AI tools.

A researcher at the Swiss Business School in Zurich tested this theory by getting 150 participants to write essays on the pros and cons of democracy under three separate conditions: without AI, using ChatGPT with no guidance or using ChatGPT with structured prompts designed to encourage deeper thinking. The American Psychological Association reported on the study in an article released in July.

“The prompts helped users reflect independently, conduct targeted research, construct and critically review an argument and revise their work as needed. Essays produced with structured prompting received the highest scores from expert reviewers,” the article stated.

This is an important point, as it shows that an AI tool, if used appropriately, could help improve users’ critical-thinking skills.

The responsibility then lies with the user: to resist the temptation to delegate our thinking to machines and instead use AI in a manner that enhances rather than replaces our critical thinking abilities.

Read also:
Cover Story: How the AI tidal wave is reshaping the jobs market
Cover Story: AI may boost productivity, but what about workers’ share?

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