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Modern and evolving technology opens its doors to indispensable possibilities of efficiency, fast-paced workflow, and creative generation. If digital efficiency is essential for advancement, is artificial Intelligence (AI) worth the price of progress?

AI is a modern-day friend and employee. It’s cost-saving for automated businesses, reliable for employee assistance, a useful student guide, and a creative idea generation for creatives. AI in industries is widely used for data entry and excellent customer service. In the fields of science and medicine, it can be used to understand diseases that have plagued society for ages and also to aid researchers in analyzing data for breakthroughs. While this powerful tool is quick to reply to prompts, its reliability can sometimes lead to complacency. Worldwide, researchers shed some light on its impact on human cognitive health.

A study by Kosmyna et al. (2025) assessed the impact of AI and Learning Language Machine (LLM) on feature writers’ cognitive development and overall writing ability, including critical thinking, quoting, and writing style. Fifty-four participants were profiled, comprising male and female individuals aged eighteen to thirty-nine, who were postgraduate pursuers and field scientists, and came from prestigious institutions such as Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They were grouped into three categories mainly: participants who will use LLM only as a resource, participants using only search engine websites, and participants without both. The experiment ended with an exit interview regarding the participants’ experience. Some participants of the LLM Group highlighted their significant use of AI for checking their work and for getting constructive feedback, while others brainstormed the structure of their essays with AI before writing. In the overall responses, the biggest challenge faced by all groups was accurately quoting their works, but the LLM Group struggled the most. In terms of essay ownership, the Brain Group claimed full ownership except for two of the participants, while the LLM Group was divided between full ownership and partially or not at all.

Arising from AI convenience is digital amnesia, also known as the “Google Effect”. As Filipinos widely say, “i-Google mo” or “Google it”, reflects digital manners of individuals relying on instantaneous data retrieval, retaining less memory, and forgetting more. This phenomenon corresponds to Kosmyna’s study concerning essay ownership and quoting. Participants who relied on LLMs and search engines to write their essays often omitted the contents of their work once it was over. Tech reporter Brodsky (2025) on Kosmyna’s study, “When AI thinks for us, the brain gets quieter”, suggests that AI can slowly replace our mental thinking as it significantly lowers brain activity, decreases exceptionality, and creativity.

Another study, Lee et al. (2025), questioned the impact of Gen AI on critical thinking, cognitive skills, and confidence in knowledge workflow. The study aimed to question the quality of human thought, especially AI-reliant individuals. The researchers encouraged respondents to assess when critical thinking must be implemented throughout using Gen AI for research purposes. Some notable responses mentioned AI workflow automation that denies employees routine opportunities and weakens their cognitive thinking. When individuals lack the discipline for knowledge work and critical thinking, they rely on prompt assistance, which diminishes personal reflection and critical judgment. This reliance ultimately leads to a decline in professionalism and reduces opportunities for knowledge growth. The right balance of AI reliance is unspecified, but Kosmyna and Lee’s studies encourage individuals to understand their usage and aim for efficiency, not substitution.

AI has come from a long line of revolutionizing the technology world. From being a calculator for complex numbers, to influencing education with instant research data gathering, and an industry’s AI employee for an automated twenty-four-seven help desk, to being people’s everyday use for efficient digital help. AI could be used alternatively to enhance our skills and ease the production of tasks. Instead of asking it to generate your school essay, ask AI to brainstorm ideas for your essay and how to structure the topics logically. It can also be used for tips on improving your writing skills, and act as an advising co-worker to inspire your next presentation.

This is your reminder of the importance of improving cognition to sharpen your long-term and short-term memory, thinking skills, and to increase your attention span. Take a break from your screens, be present and involved in your daily tasks and social interactions. A good book from the library, a new creative artwork, or a jog in the park creates good habits that train your cognitive health and do wonders. The limit to using AI does not exist, but as digital citizens, be wary of what becomes too much and balance efficiency with digital responsibility.

By Gab Dizon