Conversation 2:
Don’t outsource your thinking
Use AI as a Tool, Not a Substitute
Brain truth:
When we learn, there is a physical change (neuroplasticity) in the brain as neural networks are strengthened. With uninterrupted focus and challenge the dendrites on the neurons (grey matter) grow spines and the myelin coating (white matter) on the axons is thickened. The more grey matter we have the more information the brain can process and the more white matter we have the faster our thinking. Without effort, these changes do not take place in the brain and the neural pathways only fire, they don’t wire. For long term memory to stick we need to fire and wire the neuron networks with repetition over time.
If we use AI for all our thinking there will be very limited neuroplastic changes so very limited learning committed to long term memory. If you haven’t invested the time to create schemas in the long term memory you are at risk of cognitive bias and thinking traps. Critical thinking requires you to make connections with what you already know so when you outsource your thinking by using AI all the time, you risk developing your critical thinking skills.
Strategy:
1) When in the workplace or doing an assignment, draw up a draft using your original ideas first before you ask AI to improve the work in some way. This way you are using AI as a tool – it is not using you. AI is an excellent tool to check grammar, enhance writing, elaborate on ideas and extend your thinking but it is not smart to use it for all your thinking.
2) After you learn something new teach someone else to consolidate long term memory and repeat over time to fire and wire. Repetition and recall will strengthen neural pathways.
3) Use AI ethically by always referencing its contribution to the end product.
Story:
MIT research on AI and brain activity using EEG scans found that students who used AI tools like ChatGPT to write essays had a 47% reduction in active neural connections compared to those writing manually or using traditional research tools. Active brain engagement dropped from 79% to 42% showing a marked decline in cognitive effort.
Alarmingly, 83% of AI users could not recall what they had just written, compared to only 10–11% in non-AI groups. Teachers described AI-generated essays as "soulless" and "bland" (Kosmyna et al., 2025). A Grade 10 English teacher noticed that students who used AI for essay drafts struggled to discuss their arguments in class. When asked to explain their reasoning, many drew blanks, highlighting the risk of mental disengagement (Kosmyna et al, 2025).
Students relying on AI also showed weaker memory retention, less neural connectivity, and a reduced sense of ownership over their work. The more we learn and commit to memory retention the more schemas we have, the more connections we can make and the less cognitive load we will experience when we learning something new.
Question:
1) How much of the final product of your last assignment or work was your original work and did you reference the AI contribution?
2) Does your school have clear protocols to use AI ethically and strategically?