A Real Risk or a New Era of Mental Expansion?
After all, is AI going to make us dumber?
With the rise of ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and other generative tools, a question has been gaining traction in universities, companies, and everyday conversations: are we outsourcing our thinking too much? Is artificial intelligence diminishing our cognitive abilities — or expanding our possibilities?
The answer isn’t binary. Yes, there are risks, but there are also incredible benefits. It all depends on how we use AI.
A Real Case: Foundation – Artificial Intelligence as a Knowledge Ally
I’m rereading the Foundation saga by Isaac Asimov. Seven books, over 3,000 pages, covering nearly a thousand years of galactic history — all originally written between 1942 and 1950.
The saga inspired Dune, Star Trek, and Star Wars. It’s rich in political intrigue, science, philosophy, wars, planets, and unforgettable characters — like The Mule, a mutant with mental powers who resembles a dark version of Jean Grey.
Find me someone who knows the Good Doctor (Isaac Asimov) or the Foundation saga. Despite AppleTV’s clumsy, broken version of the series, it’s still hard to find people who are familiar with this nerdy masterpiece. So, I turned to Artificial Intelligence.
I confess: even reading it for the second time, it’s easy to get lost in the details. So I decided to use two AIs — one to chat and ask questions, another to summarize chapters and help me review concepts like psychohistory and timeline events.
Question after question, I ended up spending over 4 hours discussing Foundation. I tested hypotheses, asked for alternative explanations, and reviewed forgotten characters. It felt like having two professors of literature and science fiction at my desk — available 24/7.
As Mr. Spock would say: “Fascinating.”
Aviation Already Taught Me This Lesson
I was a pilot for over 20 years. When GPS arrived in aviation in the 1990s through Garmin systems, I resisted. I insisted on flying with VOR and ADF — traditional radio navigation. But GPS technology was more accurate, safer, and faster. It won me over. And I never looked back.
AI today is the new GPS of the mind. Fighting it is a waste of time and energy. Accepting and mastering the tool is the real differentiator.
Cognitive Dumbness? It Depends on the User
Yes, AI can lead to “cognitive dumbness” — if used only as a shortcut. When you stop thinking, validating, or reflecting… your brain goes into airplane mode.
But Artificial Intelligence can also expand your mental capacities. Those who use it to test ideas, explore complex topics, write better, or study more actively are actually training their reasoning — not weakening it.
Impact on Society
Brazilian (and global) society will experience a new divide: not between those who have access to AI, but between those who use it critically and those who use it passively.
This could exacerbate inequalities. People who understand how to smartly leverage AI will have a massive professional advantage — while others will fall behind, trapped by tools they don’t know how to use.
Job Market in Brazil
Operational, repetitive, or rules-based roles are already under serious threat. We’re talking about:
- Level 1 and 2 tech support
- Scripted customer service
- Generic content production
- Manual QA
- Developers who only copy code from forums (the famous StackOverflow Dev)
These functions are likely to be automated, downgraded, or replaced by AI within 3 years.
On the other hand, those who learn to use Artificial Intelligence as a performance amplifier (and not a crutch) will see a massive increase in value.
Information Technology Market
The impact is direct — and already happening.
- Junior devs with AI: Will produce more, but also compete with thousands of others — salaries are likely to fall.
- Senior devs with critical thinking: Will earn more, because they can review, integrate, orchestrate, and ensure quality.
- Mid-level devs who don’t upskill: Risk being “compressed” between the two extremes — with neither technical distinction nor cost advantage.
We’re seeing a “smile curve”: top and bottom rising, and the middle being squeezed.
My Opinion
Artificial Intelligence won’t make anyone dumber by itself. But those who use it without awareness, without judgment, and without the intent to learn… will indeed think less, create less, and deliver less value.
On the other hand, those who use AI to expand their cognition, test hypotheses, study more, and work better will lead the future.
Just as GPS freed the pilot to focus on flying — not just navigating — AI is here to free our minds from the trivial.
It’s up to us to decide what to do with this newfound mental space.
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