The growing use of generative AI is raising questions about whether excessive reliance on the technology could affect how people think, remember information and solve problems. AI can now write emails, summarise research, solve problems, analyse information and make recommendations, allowing users to outsource tasks that once required more active mental effort.
People have long relied on technology for cognitive offloading. Phone books reduced the need to memorise numbers, GPS replaced much of the need to remember directions and calculators simplified mathematical calculations. Generative AI, however, can go further by taking on parts of the thinking process itself.
India is among the countries seeing high generative AI adoption. A Salesforce global study cited in the report found that 73% of urban workers in India were actively using AI tools.
The concern is not simply whether AI is being used, but how it is being used. Purvi Jain, Founder and Academic Director of the Brain and AI Research Group, said the impact largely depends on whether AI replaces human thinking or supports it.
Using AI to generate every idea, answer or decision could reduce opportunities for people to practise independent reasoning and problem-solving. On the other hand, using it as a tool to challenge ideas, organise information or support existing thinking can keep the human decision-making process involved.
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into work and everyday life, maintaining a balance between convenience and independent thought may become increasingly important. The key issue is not necessarily avoiding AI, but ensuring that the technology remains a support rather than a substitute for human cognition.
