Basil Jarrett | The AI trap: When working smarter makes us dumber

I DON’T quite remember where I first heard it, but for years we’ve been sold the dream that working smarter, not harder, is the key to success. Efficiency, productivity, and time-saving hacks are the name of the game, right? The easier, the better and the lower the effort, the greater the reward. But a new study from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University is challenging that view, confirming what many of us have secretly feared: the more we rely on AI to do our thinking, the less capable we become of thinking for ourselves. And in a world where critical thinking is already on life support, that should be a scary thought for all of us.

THE MICROSOFT STUDY

The Microsoft study followed 319 knowledge workers, you know, people whose jobs involve handling data, problem-solving, and decision-making, and examined how they used AI tools in their daily work. The results were unsettling: The more confident workers were in AI’s abilities, the less effort they put into evaluating its outputs. The more workers used AI, the less diverse and creative their responses became. And over time, the more reliant workers became on AI, the worse they got at independent problem-solving. In other words, AI is tricking us into thinking that we’re still thinking, that we are smarter than we really are.

You see, when people feel like they can rely on AI, their critical engagement drops significantly. They stop questioning, analysing, and verifying information. And since AI doesn’t ‘think’ like a human, it merely predicts patterns based on existing data, this means we’re outsourcing originality, creativity, and problem-solving to a machine that doesn’t actually know anything.

THE FUTURE IS NOW

Not too long ago, this would have been a far-off, hypothetical dystopia where machines rule the world. You know, the sort of thing that Arnold Schwarzenegger and John Connor warned us about. But it’s happening now. Just last week, the Development Bank of Singapore announced that it would cut 4,000 jobs over the next three years because AI was taking over much of the work currently done by humans. Not long after, a Bloomberg Intelligence report predicted that global banks will cut 200,000 jobs in the next three to five years, again due to AI automation.

So, no. Skynet doesn’t need to send the Terminators any more, as we’re doing a fine enough job of replacing ourselves. Instead of an apocalyptic all-out war against humanity, AI just needs to make us comfortable enough to stop thinking for ourselves.

Give us a few handy chatbots, automate our critical decisions, and convince us to stop questioning its responses, and pretty soon, our problem-solving skills and ability to think independently will degrade. Rise of the machines indeed.

In short, the Microsoft study confirmed that we are helping AI to replace us. Every time we let ChatGPT finish our sentences, compose our emails or summarise an article instead of reading it ourselves, we are actively eroding our ability to think critically. And ironically, critical thinking – the ability to think differently, analyse deeply, and problem-solve creatively – is the one skill that could save those jobs that the very AI is eroding.

AI IS MAKING US MORE EFFICIENT… AT BEING MEDIOCRE

At this point, you might be thinking, “This is a First-World problem. That’s Singapore’s banking system, not ours. T2 destroyed Los Angeles, not Kingston.” But hold on one sec, Neo. Let’s not forget that Jamaica always follows global trends, especially in business and finance. AI is already creeping into customer service, banking, journalism, education, and even law enforcement. It’s only a matter of time, therefore, before a Jamaican CEO gets the bright idea to ‘increase efficiency’ by replacing staff with AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants.

And that’s exactly when we’ll start seeing the cracks. The customer service rep who used to handle problems with care? Replaced by a chatbot that can’t comprehend Jamaican ‘bad wud’. The bank officer who processed loans with a deep understanding of human situations? Gone and replaced by an AI that only approves what fits a rigid algorithm. The teacher who used to explain difficult concepts with patience? Outsmarted by students who let AI write their essays and never actually learn anything.

AI will never replace the uniquely human ability to reason, empathise, and adapt to real-world problems. At least not yet. But if we stop developing those abilities ourselves, we’ll make it way too easy for computers to replace us.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

The researchers behind the study weren’t all doom and gloom. They had some solid recommendations on how to fight back against AI-induced brain drain. Train workers to cross-check AI outputs, they said. Don’t just accept what AI gives you. Instead, verify it, challenge it, and improve upon it. They also advised that we emphasise creative and analytical thinking in our school curriculum and workplaces, and urged us to focus more on problem-solving, reasoning, and innovation. You know, the skills that AI can’t yet replace.

Use AI as a tool, not a crutch, they said; and let AI assist human thinking, not replace it. And for the love of all things holy, let’s stop pretending that outsourcing our thinking is a sign of intelligence.

The reality is that AI isn’t the villain in this movie. The humans are. We’re the ones who get complacent. We’re the ones who let AI handle problems we should be thinking through ourselves. We’re the ones who forget that the most valuable skill in any workplace isn’t efficiency, but insight.

COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO LIVE

So, yes, AI will change the world. But whether we rise with it or get replaced by it will depend entirely on whether we choose to keep exercising our brain or let AI turn it into mush. We need to fix these issues now, before we wake up one day to find that the machines really have taken over.

But not all hope is lost. I see where Campion College and several of our other elite high schools have announced their intention to send teams to the International Olympiad of AI in Beijing later this year. A bold and much-needed step in the right direction indeed. Unlike the passive reliance on AI that the research warns against, Campion is actively encouraging its students to challenge AI, master it, and use it strategically. This is exactly the blueprint for what Jamaica needs to do at a national level: train people to become experts in AI development, regulation, and oversight. Not to give over their brain.

Major Basil Jarrett is the director of communications at the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency and a crisis communications consultant. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Threads @IamBasilJarrett and linkedin.com/in/basiljarrett and send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.