# AI is a digital Super Soldier serum So I saw this and it gave me thoughts. [Microsoft says AI tools such as Copilot or ChatGPT are affecting critical thinking at work – staff using the technology encounter 'long-term reliance and diminished independent problem-solving' \| ITPro](https://www.itpro.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/ai-tools-critical-thinking-reliance) I have found precisely the opposite. Using ChatGPT as a thinking partner has sharpened and deepened my thinking, making me demonstrably smarter. So I think this hand-wringing, which is just the latest in a long line of doomsaying every time a new technology comes along (“With these digital calculators, kids won’t even know how to use slide rules anymore! Then what?”), misses the point. The key distinction here isn’t the technology, but how it’s used. In the case of [[AI]], “do this with me” versus “do this for me.” Engaging actively with AI helps you interrogate your own thoughts and strengthen your argument, where, as the research implies, offloading your work entirely to the AI gives you less to do and encourages mental atrophy. It says more about the human than the technology. Are they the sort of person that wants things done for them, or who approaches life with intellectual curiosity and a drive to improve? In short, AI makes smart people smarter and dumb people dumber. Think of AI as a digital version of Erskine’s Super Soldier serum. It just amplifies what’s already there. Steve Rogers was already brave, selfless, and determined before the serum; it just gave him the physical strength to match his character. Meanwhile, Johann Schmidt (Red Skull) was already cruel and power-hungry, and the serum just amplified those traits to monstrous levels. AI operates similarly: - If you’re intellectually curious, AI becomes a powerful tool for exploration, insight, and skill refinement. - If you’re disengaged or reliant on shortcuts, AI makes it easier to avoid thinking critically. It’s not the _tool_ that’s good or bad—it’s how it’s used and _who_ is using it. And just like with the serum, the real key is ensuring it’s in the right hands (or at least encouraging people to use it in ways that promote growth rather than stagnation).