A review of evidence across cognitive science, education, medicine, and human-factors research finds that fully offloading mental work to AI can weaken the acquisition and retention of the specific skills people stop practicing. The authors distinguish that evidence from broader claims about declining intelligence: effects on foundational abilities such as attention and working memory remain uncertain, while AI used as a collaborator, tutor, or source of feedback can preserve or improve learning.
AI is most likely to erode the skills people stop practicing, not human cognitive capacity as a whole.
Why it matters
The evidence points to a design and management choice rather than an inevitable cognitive decline. Tools that replace practice can create dependence and deskilling, while systems that keep people solving, checking, and reflecting can increase capability without removing the work through which expertise is built.
Long-term effects across professions and developmental stages remain open questions, so the review supports caution without claiming that current AI use has already caused a general loss of intelligence.
Primary trail
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