How can we regain our own way of thinking without being manipulated by AI?
Generative AIs like ChatGPT and Gemini are incredibly useful, and many people turn to them first when researching or searching for solutions to work or everyday problems. However, over-reliance on AI can lead to a condition known as '
Is AI hurting your ability to think? How to reclaim your brain
https://theconversation.com/is-ai-hurting-your-ability-to-think-how-to-reclaim-your-brain-272834
In November 2025, Israeli supporters were banned from attending a soccer match between Aston Villa FC (England) and Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (Israel) held in the West Midlands , England.
The decision was based on a West Midlands Police report, which stated that the software posed a 'high safety risk based on past experience.' However, it was later discovered that the police report included 'fictitious matches' generated by Microsoft Copilot, leading to the resignation of West Midlands Police Chief Craig Guildford , who was held responsible.
Generative AI is merely a language computer trained on a huge data set, and does not understand anything, so even if it generates sentences or advice that seem logical, the content is often incorrect. However, West Midlands Police used AI for investigations, analysis, and report writing, and as a result, neglected to verify the results, causing major problems.
While the West Midlands Police case may be extreme, Carroll points out that many people are similarly outsourcing their thinking to AI. AI replaces tasks that many people don't want to do, such as thinking, writing, creating, and analyzing. However, these skills can deteriorate if not used, and as a result, more and more people are suffering from cognitive atrophy.
Many people say that the use of AI
Even people who consider themselves moderate users of AI may be experiencing cognitive atrophy, Carroll says, noting that one symptom is a lack of willingness to create incomplete versions of tasks early on.
When manually searching for a solution, some people write down the relevant information on a whiteboard, notepad, or the back of a napkin, grasping the problem and conducting a mock brainstorming. However, if we rely too much on AI, the process of 'first thinking by ourselves' disappears and we shift to 'sending prompts to AI and considering the answers it returns.'
'If our instinct is to expect AI tools to give us a starting point for every task, we're leaving out the most important part of thinking - the structure, the logic, the hard work of coming up with new and exciting ideas,' Carroll said.
Another sign of cognitive atrophy is a 'lowering frustration threshold.' If you feel the urge to 'ask an AI' after only 60 seconds of thinking and not being able to come up with an answer, you may have a lowered tolerance for ambiguity and frustration. Divergent thinking , which occurs when a clear answer is not available, is necessary for the ability to generate original solutions, but a lowering frustration threshold impairs this ability.
Carroll warned, 'Do you find yourself unquestioningly accepting the validity of AI-generated outputs? Or do you find yourself unable to trust your intuition without first verifying it with an AI search? This could be a sign that you are moving from decision-maker to approver, or worse, a passive observer of the thought process.'
To combat the cognitive atrophy caused by over-reliance on AI, we need to regain the ability to think and make decisions independently. To do this, we need to regain the 'friction' of uncertainty and the things we don't know in our daily lives, accept uncertainty, and learn from our thought processes, even if they're wrong. Carroll introduces the following four ways to 'regain your ability to think without being too controlled by AI.'
◆1: Set a 30-minute rule
Carroll recommends that when tackling a problem, instead of immediately opening an AI interface, people should first spend 30 minutes thinking about it on their own. For example, they can write out potential solutions, risks, and stakeholders for the problem they want to solve, or clarify their target demographic and ethical risks when considering a marketing strategy. By doing this, they can gain more confidence in the answer they come up with.
◆2: Be skeptical
AI still suffers from mistakes and hallucinations, so it's problematic to accept AI's output without question. Carroll argues that we should treat AI like a 'completely untrustworthy colleague who occasionally hallucinates,' and sometimes look for mistakes and logical errors in AI's output and think about what we can do better. 'This shifts our brain from consumer mode back into creator-editor mode, sharpening our critical thinking,' he said.
◆3: Ensure you have space to think for yourself
It can also be helpful to choose one core task that you enjoy, whether in your personal or professional life, and try to complete it without the help of AI. By creating a space in your mind where AI isn't involved, you can maintain your brain's ability to tackle complex, open-ended tasks. Once you've regained your confidence in thinking for yourself, Carroll recommends gradually expanding the range of tasks that don't rely on AI.
◆4: Think about your AI usage habits
Carroll said we should consider whether there is a 'habit payoff' from using AI. Habit payoff refers to the long-term benefits, such as improved health and happiness, that come from practicing small, positive habits over the long term. It is important to understand whether using AI tools will improve cognitive ability in the long term, or whether it will simply increase work productivity. Carroll said, 'If you're not gaining new capabilities in exchange for the skills you outsource to AI, you may be succumbing to the algorithm.'
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in AI, Posted by log1h_ik