Ruben Hassid · 6 min read · Productivity
AI brain rot.
Read the original on ruben.substack.com →
AI brain rot argues that technology isn't inherently making us dumber, but cheap cognitive offloading from AI and other tools can erode core skills if we rely on them too much. The piece cites studies on GPS, calculators, medical AI, and learning with ChatGPT to show that tasks become easier before learners improve, and that AI as a tutor can boost learning when used intentionally. It suggests balancing convenience with deliberate practice to avoid hollowed abilities in a post-AI world.
Key Takeaways
- Offloading cognitive tasks (via AI, GPS, calculators) can make tasks easier while eroding underlying skills if overused.
- AI can dramatically boost learning when used as a tutor, but reliance on AI for everything may hinder long-term retention once the AI is removed.
- History shows tools improve performance in the moment but can degrade raw skill without deliberate practice and training.
- Use AI as a learning amplifier and maintain regular manual or deliberate-practice activities to preserve core abilities.
Excerpt
Technology made us dumber, weaker & incapable. For example, agriculture and the wonders of the Green Revolution brought cheap + convenient + abundant food. And we are now so fat we must fight obesity. AI makes thinking just as cheap, convenient, and abundant. So what will happen to our intelligence ? If we need to go to the gym today to work out and burn our cheap and abundant calories, do we now need to go to mental gyms for our brains? I wrote this guide to answer it. For my own sanity, in a post-AI world. Share Sharing is…