Today I’m trying something I almost never do: writing this entire blog post on my iPad. Normally, I’d slide it out of the way and roll up to my desktop like I always have. But not today. Today is an experiment — not just in tech, but in mindset.
What sparked this? A Salon article titled “We’re offloading mental tasks to AI. It could be making us stupid.” (https://www.salon.com/2025/06/08/were-offloading-mental-tasks-to-ai-it-could-be-making-us-stupid/)
It’s a strong headline, but the article raises an important point: when we hand over too many tasks to AI — memory, math, organization, even reasoning — we risk losing the skills we used to rely on. We offload a little here, a little there… and over time, we forget how to think independently.
That’s a valid concern. But here’s where I push back a little.
I use tools like ChatGPT constantly. To brainstorm. To draft. To debug code. To prep radio episodes. Hell, you’re reading something right now that started as a conversation with AI.
But here’s the difference: I treat AI like a tool, not a crutch. I guide the process. I edit. I rewrite. I challenge its output when it doesn’t feel right. Why? Because I remember what it was like to work without tools like this — and especially what it was like as a disabled person trying to keep up before accessibility was even a blip on most developers’ radar.
If you were around before everything was digitized — before spell check, before search engines, before screen readers or voice dictation — you probably know what I mean. You didn’t have a choice but to think for yourself. And when accessibility features finally did start to show up, they often felt like last-minute additions, if they showed up at all.
That history burns into your brain. It makes you grateful for the tools — but also careful not to let them replace your actual thinking.
The Salon article makes one great point: we need to stay intentional. Don’t let convenience become complacency.
But for folks like me, AI isn’t about cutting corners — it’s about closing gaps. It’s the difference between not being able to do something and being able to do it your way. It lets me write, organize, and work on my terms. I’m not trying to do less thinking — I’m finally able to do more of it, with less frustration.
Writing this post on the iPad is a perfect example. It’s not the easiest way to work. But with the right tools — like the Mount’n Mover, which finally let me position my iPad in a way that doesn’t destroy my neck or require a third arm — I can actually focus. And that is when the thinking kicks in.
So no, AI isn’t making me stupid. But I get the concern. If you stop thinking, and let the machine do all the work, your brain will eventually check out.
But if you work with the machine — if you shape it, question it, redirect it — you stay sharp. Maybe sharper.
The trick isn’t avoiding AI. It’s remembering how to use it with purpose.
It’s worth your time: “We’re offloading mental tasks to AI. It could be making us stupid.” (https://www.salon.com/2025/06/08/were-offloading-mental-tasks-to-ai-it-could-be-making-us-stupid/)
Then ask yourself:
Am I using AI to think better — or to avoid thinking at all?
Am I still capable of doing the hard stuff, even if I don’t have to?
If the answer is yes, then you’re doing just fine.
This post was inspired by an article originally published by Salon: “We’re offloading mental tasks to AI. It could be making us stupid” (June 8, 2025). Read the full piece at https://www.salon.com/2025/06/08/were-offloading-mental-tasks-to-ai-it-could-be-making-us-stupid/
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