From “How AI Changes Your Customers: The Marketing Guide to Humanity’s Next Chapter” by Mark Schaefer
When we let AI think for us, our capacity to think for ourselves atrophies.
In Being Human in 2035, global experts predicted that our capacity for deep, critical thought will decline as AI becomes embedded in daily life.
Russell Poldrack, professor of psychology at Stanford, put it bluntly: “The ability of AI systems to perform increasingly powerful reasoning tasks will make it easy for most humans to avoid having to think hard and thus allow that muscle to atrophy.”
We’re not just losing knowledge- we’re losing cognitive muscle.
Ken Grady, innovation writer and adjunct professor at Michigan State University takes it further: “AI is a form of self-inflicted dementia. We continue to offload functions to digital systems…all of which will lead to the diminishment of our capacity for moral judgment.”
This isn’t about laziness. There are numerous and wonderful ways to use AI to enhance productivity and establish new businesses. But when most customers opt for the shortcuts, we need to ask ourselves: how do we connect with customers when thinking becomes optional?