Are We Outsourcing Our Intelligence to AI?

The other day, I got into one of those “the-sky-is-falling” conversations with a colleague. Their concern? “What if future generations lose their cognitive ability because AI will do all the thinking for them?”

Fair question. But let’s be honest — if cognitive decline begins the moment tech lends a hand, then frankly, humanity has been on this slippery slope since ink met papyrus. Truth is, we’ve offloaded parts of our mental workload to technology for millennia. And not only have we survived — we’ve thrived.

When Writing Was the Original Villain

Let’s rewind to ancient Greece. Take the invention of writing, perhaps the first “outsourced memory” technology. In Plato’s Phaedrus, Socrates recounted a myth in which the Egyptian god Theuth gifted writing to humanity. But King Thamus wasn’t impressed. He argued that writing would lead to forgetfulness because people would rely on external symbols rather than internal memory. Socrates took this critique even further. He suggested that written words are static and cannot engage in dialogue like a living teacher can. Ironically, we only know about this cautionary tale because…yep, someone wrote it down. And yet, here we are. Writing didn’t make us mindless — it made us scalable.

Calculators Didn’t Kill Math

Fast-forward a few millennia — enter the calculator. Once calculators hit the mainstream, many feared they would erode our ability to do mental math. But did we stop understanding numbers? Of course not. Instead, we freed up cognitive bandwidth to focus on strategy, logic and higher-order problem-solving. Calculators didn’t replace our ability to understand numbers — they amplified it.

From Northern Star to GPS

Let’s talk direction — literally. We used to find our way by stars, maps and gut instinct. Then came compasses, atlases and now — GPS. Yes, while some of us may not be able to travel following stars anymore, think of what we’ve gained. GPS didn’t kill our sense of direction. It enhanced logistics, boosted safety and powered entire delivery platforms. That’s a shift, not a loss.

Reframing the Question

If history teaches us anything, every “thinking shortcut” is less about decline and more about upgrade. So the question should be how do we implement AI systems that enhance human capabilities rather than replace them? Here’s how leaders can make that happen:

• Teach your teams to interpret, not just execute. Anyone can hit “Generate Report.” But the real value lies in understanding what that report reveals, what it omits and what it means for business.
• Emphasize uniquely human skills: Critical thinking, ethical reasoning, creative problem-solving and interpersonal intelligence become even more valuable in an AI-rich environment.
• Design for augmentation, not replacement: Use AI to cut cognitive clutter — tasks that drain bandwidth without deepening insight. Let humans handle the ambiguous, complex, emotionally intelligent work that creates lasting value.

We’re not outsourcing intelligence — it’s leverage. That’s the shift that puts us back in control. Let AI handle the noise. We’ll take care of the narrative.

Adeline (Addy) Maissonet is a Procurement Analyst for the Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy (DPCAP) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). She serves as a senior advisor on contracting policies and procedures and the agency’s representative on the Department’s views on proposed legislation to Congressional members, their staff, and committee staffers. Prior to her current role, Addy served as a Division Chief and Contracting Officer with unlimited warrant authority for the U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) – Fort Eustis, Virginia. Addy holds an MBA in Management and Contracting Level III Certification under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act. She is a graduate from Cornell University’s Executive Leadership Certificate Program. In her free time, Addy enjoys hiking and overlanding with her family and friends.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay