Tech Thursday –
This stuck with me.
Not because it was technologically advanced.
But because it felt… a little uncomfortable.
Because somewhere I know it's true.
That if we start with AI – instead of ourselves –
then something happens to our way of thinking.
And that's what I want to highlight today.
What we risk losing
I notice it myself.
When I first write –
Then something happens inside me.
Thoughts take shape.
New ideas emerge.
I understand what I really think.
But what if I start with AI?
Then it will go faster.
More stylish.
But also… a little emptier.
And that's where it gets interesting.
This has actually been researched.
A study from MIT (which I read about recently) compared three groups:
- one who wrote entirely by themselves
- someone who used Google
- one who used AI
The result was clear:
👉 Those who used AI from the beginning had lower brain activity
👉 They felt less ownership over what they wrote
👉 And they remembered the content worse afterwards
It is sometimes called:
“cognitive debt”
So we save mental energy now –
but pays later in the form of poorer understanding.
And this isn't really new.
The interesting thing is that this is completely in line with previous research:
- Generation effect (Slamecka & Graf):
We remember better what we create ourselves - Retrieval practice (Roediger & Karpicke):
We learn more when we actively try to remember - Desirable difficulty (Bjork):
Effort is part of learning – not an obstacle
So this isn't just about AI.
It's about how we function as humans.
The crucial thing: in what order we do things
What really stuck with me was this:
👉 If you start with AI → you relax a bit
👉 Are you starting out yourself → AI can empower you
That's a huge difference.
And it's also quite logical when you think about it.
My own conclusion
I don't want to stop using AI.
On the contrary.
But I also don't want to lose myself in the process.
Because it's easy to do it – without noticing it.
When everything goes faster...
so it can also become more superficial.
This is how I plan to use it going forward.
Quite simple actually:
- Think for yourself first
- Write something down – even if it’s messy
- Then use AI to clarify and develop
Not the other way around.
A little thing you can try
Next time you're going to write something:
👉 Don't start with AI
Set a timer for 5–10 minutes
and write yourself first
Then you can get help.
Feel the difference.
Why I'm sharing this
Because I think this is important.
Not just for productivity.
But for us as people.
That we continue:
- think
- feel
- formulate ourselves
That we don't just become someone who presses "generate".
And maybe this is the new balance
Not:
AI or human
Without:
Human first. AI as reinforcement.
Amaelle Circle
In Amaelle Circle, I work with exactly this in practice.
Not perfection.
Not performance.
Without small, concrete steps – every day of the week –
where you are still the one in control.
👉 If you want to join from the beginning, the link is here
