The Structure of How People Become Something Due to AI Dependency
Now that generative AI is becoming commonplace,
there are moments when I get this feeling.
"Lately, hasn't the time I spend thinking for myself decreased?"
If you ask AI,
it immediately returns a reasonably logical answer.
The summary, structure, and conclusion are all there.
It's convenient, fast, and honestly, it's easy.
However, this "ease" has a clear side effect.
A world where answers appear without thinking
In work until now,
there were many situations where "you couldn't move forward without thinking."
I would rack my brain before creating documents,
organize points to explain in meetings,
and only after forming my own hypothesis could I see the next step.
However, now,
you can hand that entire process over to AI.
Even if you throw a question at it carelessly,
it returns a plausible answer.
Then, people become satisfied with that.
The "feeling" that work is progressing without having to think
This state is the gateway to AI dependency.
Thinking ability definitely declines if you don't use it
The power to think is like a muscle.
If you use it, it gets stronger; if you don't, it atrophies.
Leaving things to AI is not bad in itself.
The problem is
"letting go of the very process of thinking for yourself."
Leaving problem definition to AI
Not verifying the validity of conclusions
Not thinking of other options yourself
If this state continues,
you become a person who cannot make decisions without AI.
That is not efficiency, but
outsourcing dependency for thinking.
AI does not take over the burden of "intelligence"
It is often misunderstood, but
AI is not an entity that makes people smarter.
All AI is doing is
organizing past information
and reconstructing it in a plausible way.
That is precisely why,
what the premises are
to what extent it is fact
why that conclusion is reached
if you do not understand these,
you cannot use AI output correctly.
I believe this structure is the reason why
some people find their quality of judgment declining
even though they are using AI.
“Dependency” progresses quietly
The danger of AI dependency
lies in the fact that it is hard to notice.
Work gets finished quickly
You produce decent deliverables
You don't get scolded by those around you
Therefore, the problem rarely surfaces.
However,
when an irregularity occurs,
when the premises change,
the moment the “ability to think for yourself” is needed,
the gap becomes apparent all at once.
Consciously create time to distance yourself from AI
To prevent AI dependency,
you don't need to do anything special.
Think of the initial hypothesis yourself
Always throw a “Why?” back at the AI's answer
Try explaining the conclusion in your own words once
With just these small habits,
the initiative in thinking returns to the person.
AI should not be a substitute for thinking, but rather
training wheels to deepen your thinking.
The fork in the road between those who become smarter and those who don't
People who use AI to become smarter, and those who,
conversely, lose their ability to think.
This difference is not about talent.
How much do you think before using AI?
And,
how much do you rethink things after using AI?
That is the only difference.
Do not be swept away by convenience,
and never stop thinking.
I believe that is the
simplest condition for surviving in the AI era.
📘 Book Introduction
"Make It Yours — To not fear AI, not be pushed around by it, and make it your own"
Author: Confia Consulting
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0G1HCVVHB
Do not depend on AI, but do not reject it either.
This is a book that summarizes how to regain control of your own thinking.
Please take a look at it along with this column.