Blog | Ten Past Tomorrow

Is AI shrinking our brains, or enhancing our thinking?

Written by Mark Laurence | Jul 23, 2025 9:04:15 PM

Are AI tools like ChatGPT making us smarter or just lazy?

What's that nagging feeling about that you may get when you use AI to do a task in 45 mins that used to take 3 days... the feeling of "is this cheating?"

In this video essay, I unpack the viral panic triggered by Apple’s recent EEG study and explain why “lower brain activity” isn’t the red flag it sounds like.

I explore how generative AI is changing our relationship with thinking, effort, productivity, and what we call “real” work.

You’ll walk away with practical frameworks, mindset shifts, and a way to reframe AI ease as a strength, not a shortcut.

If you’ve ever questioned whether using AI will make humans 'dumber', or whether it makes your work less valuable, this one’s for you.

Links and references

"Against Brain Damage"

"Brain Rot Isn’t Real, but Cognitive Offloading Is"