Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to make us more productive, efficient and informed than ever before. With a few prompts, we can draft reports, analyse data, summarise research and generate ideas in seconds. Tasks that once required hours can now be completed in minutes.
The benefits are undeniable.
Yet beneath the excitement lies a question that deserves far greater attention: Will AI make us smarter or simply more dependent?
History suggests that every major technological breakthrough changes not only what we do but how we think. Calculators reduced the need for mental arithmetic. GPS reduced the need to navigate independently. Search engines reduced the need to memorise information.
AI may be different because it affects something far more fundamental: reasoning.
For the first time, technology can assist not only with finding information but also with interpreting it, organising it and presenting it in ways that resemble human thought. AI can write persuasive arguments, generate recommendations and provide seemingly authoritative answers to complex questions.
The capability is extraordinary. It is also potentially dangerous. The danger is not that AI will replace human intelligence. The danger is that people may begin outsourcing the mental processes that develop intelligence. Anyone who has learnt a difficult skill understands that growth often comes through struggle. Solving a complex problem, analysing conflicting information or working through uncertainty forces the brain to develop new ways of thinking. The process is how expertise is built.
AI removes much of the friction.
Instead of wrestling with a problem, we can ask AI to solve it. Instead of analysing information, we can ask AI to summarise it. Instead of drafting an argument, we can ask AI to generate one. The result is efficiency.
The question is whether it is also learning. Across schools, universities and workplaces, there is growing evidence that many people can produce
sophisticated outputs with the assistance of AI while struggling to explain the reasoning behind them. This matters because understanding is not the same as output. A student who uses AI to solve a problem may obtain the correct answer. But if that student cannot explain why the answer is correct, has learning occurred?
Similarly, an employee who relies on AI-generated recommendations may appear highly productive. But if they cannot identify errors, challenge assumptions or recognise limitations, are they truly exercising professional judgement?
These are not academic questions. They have profound implications for the future of work and society. As AI becomes more capable, the skills that distinguish
human beings are changing.
Access to information is no longer a competitive advantage. Nor is the ability to generate content quickly.
What becomes valuable is the ability to evaluate information, think critically, exercise judgement and make decisions in complex situations where there may be no single correct answer.
In other words, the future belongs not to those who know the most but to those who can think the best. This is important because AI systems are not infallible. They can generate inaccurate information, flawed reasoning and misleading conclusions while sounding confident. Their outputs can be useful but they require human oversight.
The challenge therefore is not whether we should use AI. Technology is here and its benefits are too significant to ignore. The challenge is ensuring that AI enhances human thinking rather than replacing it.
Used wisely, AI can become a powerful intellectual partner. It can help us explore ideas, identify patterns and accelerate routine tasks, freeing us to focus on higher-order thinking.
Used carelessly, it risks becoming a cognitive crutch that weakens the very capabilities we need most.
The future will be determined by how people choose to engage with it. Technology can provide answers. It cannot provide wisdom. Technology can process information. It cannot replace judgement. Technology can assist thinking. It cannot assume responsibility for thinking.
Whether AI makes us smarter or more dependent ultimately depends on us.
•Naicker is a senior lecturer in the Department of Commercial Accounting at the University of Johannesburg
- AI significantly boosts productivity by completing complex tasks quickly, such as drafting, analyzing, and summarizing information.
- Unlike past technologies, AI influences fundamental reasoning by assisting in interpreting and organizing information, not just retrieving it.
- Reliance on AI risks reducing the mental effort required for learning and developing expertise, as it removes the struggle involved in problem-solving.
- Critical thinking, evaluation, and judgment skills become more valuable in a future where AI can generate accurate outputs but may also produce errors requiring human oversight.
- The impact of AI on human intelligence depends on its use: it can either enhance thinking as a powerful partner or weaken cognitive abilities if used as a crutch.
Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to make us more productive, efficient and informed than ever before.
Yet beneath the excitement lies a question that deserves far greater attention:
History suggests that every major technological breakthrough changes not only what we do but how we think. Calculators reduced the need for mental arithmetic. GPS reduced the need to navigate independently. Search engines reduced the need to memorise information.
AI may be different because it affects something far more fundamental: reasoning.
For the first time, technology can assist not only with finding information but also with interpreting it, organising it and presenting it in ways that resemble human thought. AI can write persuasive arguments, generate recommendations and provide seemingly authoritative answers to complex questions.
AI removes much of the friction.
Instead of wrestling with a problem, we can ask AI to solve it. Instead of analysing information, we can ask AI to summarise it. Instead of drafting an argument, we can ask AI to generate one.
sophisticated outputs with the assistance of AI while struggling to explain the reasoning behind them.
Similarly, an employee who relies on AI-generated recommendations may appear highly productive. But if they cannot identify errors, challenge assumptions or recognise limitations, are they truly exercising professional judgement?
human beings are changing.
Access to information is no longer a competitive advantage. Nor is the ability to generate content quickly.
What becomes valuable is the ability to evaluate information, think critically, exercise judgement and make decisions in complex situations where there may be no single correct answer.
In other words, the future belongs not to those who know the most but to those who can think the best.
Used wisely, AI can become a powerful intellectual partner. It can help us explore ideas, identify patterns and accelerate routine tasks, freeing us to focus on higher-order thinking.
Used carelessly, it risks becoming a cognitive crutch that weakens the very capabilities we need most.
•Naicker is a senior lecturer in the Department of Commercial
