AI is making you dumber

Nowadays everyone is saying “AI will make people dumber.”
I honestly don’t think that it’s true at all. I think it depends completely on how you use AI.

In this post I want to share a simple mental model I follow:

This one shift keeps your own brain sharp, and actually helps you become more smart with AI instead of falling behind it.

The common fear: “AI will make us dumb”

We’ve all seen this play out already in small ways:

• People mindlessly copy‑paste code from AI without understanding it.

• Students ask for ready‑made answers instead of trying first.

• Folks rely on AI even for things they could think through themselves.

If you use AI like this, you are outsourcing your thinking. Over a few years, that absolutely will make you dumber.

So the fear is valid.
But the solution is not to avoid AI. The solution is to change your relationship with it.

My model: LLM as your intelligent peer

Here’s the core idea:
Don’t think of an LLM as some superior being that will “figure everything out” for you.
Think of it as a smart classmate sitting next to you.

You two are on the same level:

• It brings speed, breadth of knowledge, and pattern‑matching.

• You bring judgment, real‑world context, and experience.

You don’t just ask it: “How can I solve this problem?”
You say: “Here’s the problem, here’s what I’m thinking, what do you think?”
Then you review what it says like you’d review code from a teammate.

This “peer, not god” mental shift changes everything.

The two paths after every AI answer

Every time an LLM gives you an output, there are only two useful outcomes:

Option 1: You agree (after real thinking)

You:

1. Read the output carefully.

2. Re‑run the reasoning in your own head.

3. Maybe verify one or two key points.

4. Then say: “Yeah, this makes sense.”

Here, both you and the LLM arrive at the same conclusion.
You’re not blind‑trusting. You’re co‑signing after inspection.

The benefit:
Even if one day LLMs start to produce “god‑level code” or insane reasoning, you’re not left behind. Because every time, you’re:

• Reviewing

• Understanding

• Absorbing patterns

• Watching how it structures things

You stay in touch with the quality of the output, and your own skills grow along with the model.

Option 2: You disagree or see a better way

Sometimes your brain goes:

• “This is partially correct, but it’s missing X.”

• “This will work, but there’s a cleaner approach.”

• “This is okay for beginners, but for production I would do Y.”

Now you step in as an equal peer and add value:

• You refine the approach.

• You correct the logic.

• You simplify the design.

• You add edge cases, performance tweaks, real‑world constraints.

This is your brain doing what it’s best at:
connecting dots from your experience, your domain knowledge, your intuition.

The benefit: you’re constantly training your mind to:

• Critique

• Innovate

• Improve

• Think “one step further” than the default answer

This is the opposite of getting dumber. This is active, upgraded thinking, using AI as a force multiplier.

The essence of this model is very simple:

• It’s not your boss.

• It’s not your teacher.

• It’s a sharp colleague who works fast.

You stay in the loop on every decision. You always know why something is being done a certain way. That’s how you protect and expand your own intelligence.

Once you internalize this, you stop feeling threatened by AI.
You start feeling like: “Nice, I have a 10x faster peer now. Let’s build bigger things together.”

A real‑life example from my school days

To ground this in something real, let me share a story from school.

There was this boy in my class. Till 9th standard, he was mediocre at best.
I used to score better marks than him. Nothing special, just a normal gap.

One day, his mother came to my home and said:

“Can you take him with you to your tuition classes?”

So he started coming with me to the same tuitions.
He suddenly got exposed to:

• Better explanations

• A more serious study environment

• People who asked different kinds of questions

Slowly, his scores started improving.
By 11th standard, he got into the science–math section, which in our school was basically the toppers’ section.
Now he was surrounded by even more intelligent people.

What happened then is the interesting part:

• He kept absorbing how they thought.

• He learned their methods, their shortcuts, their discipline.

• His level rose just by being in that environment and engaging with it.

Eventually, he became genuinely intelligent himself and ended up in IIT, the most prestigious engineering institute in India.

Did those smarter peers “make him dumber”?
No. Being surrounded by them, and actively engaging, pulled him up.

That’s exactly how I see AI.

How to actually practice this (simple rules)

Here’s how I personally operationalize this mindset:

1. Never ask AI to “just do it” without you.
   Always stay in review mode. You’re the final owner.

2. Before asking, think a bit yourself.
   Even if it’s just a rough outline or a half‑baked idea, form your own view first. Then compare.

3. After getting the answer, don’t scroll‑scroll‑copy.
   Read slowly, line by line. Ask yourself:
   “Do I agree? Why? What’s missing?”

4. Force at least one improvement.
   Even if it’s small, naming, structure, an extra edge case, try to add something from your side.

5. Regular “no AI” reps.
   Sometimes, deliberately solve things without AI, just to keep your raw muscles strong.

Follow these and you’ll never be in the “AI is making me dumb” bucket.
You’ll be in the “AI is my smartest peer, and I’m growing with it” bucket.