Artificial Intelligence Didn’t Just Help—It Earned My Degree
We talk about AI like it’s magic—but have we forgotten the most important part? It’s not real intelligence. It’s artificial. And that small detail is what’s beginning to worry university professors and administrators who now watch their students rely on AI to think, write, and sometimes even graduate for them.
This problem didn’t appear overnight. For years, students have been molded by an education system that worships correct answers over genuine understanding. Memorization has replaced mastery. The pattern is familiar to anyone who’s sat through the cycle of study, memorize, regurgitate, repeat. Somewhere along the line, the process meant to help us learn became the end goal itself.
Our learning model now mirrors search engines: we respond to prompts, generate output, and move on. The deeper act of thinking has been outsourced. And because the system rewards efficiency over effort, we cut corners. We do what’s necessary to pass, not to learn. After all, who cares how we found the answer if the answer checks out?
But here’s where it gets controversial: AI seemingly perfects what every technological innovation has aimed for—eliminating the tedious while saving time. Yet wisdom doesn’t grow in shortcuts. It’s cultivated slowly, in the small, sometimes boring moments of trying, failing, and understanding. Technology can help you get information faster, but that doesn’t make you smarter faster. Research even suggests that overdependence on AI weakens our ability to think critically and solve problems creatively.
Ronald Becker, a media and communication professor at Miami University, captures this tension perfectly. He argues that the calculator metaphor no longer fits AI. As he puts it, a calculator assists only those who already know how to solve equations. AI, on the other hand, doesn’t assist thinking—it replaces it. It takes over mental habits we used to build ourselves.
Consider this: one human mind, multiplied by billions, now produces an infinity of AI-generated thoughts. You might think this abundance would make humanity collectively smarter. In reality, it’s having the opposite effect. Our communication, analytical reasoning, and critical thinking skills are slipping to historic lows.
The irony? We don’t seem to care. We’re comfortable letting our minds go numb as convenience dulls our curiosity. Instead of questioning, we welcome the relief—anything to save time and effort. But let’s not confuse availability with accuracy. If every corner of society operated on minimum effort, what kind of world would that create?
Older generations may roll their eyes and sigh, “Kids these days…” But that complaint is recycled through history. Every generation has sought easier options; technology simply amplifies that instinct. Human nature hasn’t changed—it’s just faster now. Whenever a simpler path appears, we take it.
The truth is, we conform to whatever norms dominate our environment. And in classrooms today, apathy has set the tone. Picture it: the instructor poses an open-ended question, the room falls silent, and students stare blankly—half out of fear, half out of disinterest. It’s not just laziness; it’s a cultural conditioning toward passivity.
We often promise ourselves that we’ll change—study harder, focus more, waste less time. But intention alone never rewires behavior. Real transformation demands persistence, even when it’s inconvenient. Discipline, not desire, makes the difference.
Our current AI obsession may look like progress, but it’s quietly spreading what psychologists call cognitive laziness: the tendency to consume information passively rather than engage with it critically. We are slipping from curious inquiry into apathetic dependence.
So, what now? Deep thinkers aren’t born—they’re built through curiosity, patience, and discomfort. We can’t wait for technology to force change; we have to model it ourselves. The challenge, then, is simple yet daunting: remain diligent, even when an easier choice is within reach.
And this is the part most people miss—AI isn’t the villain. It’s the mirror. It reflects our willingness to surrender the hard work of thought. So, what do you think? Has AI made us smarter—or just more efficient at pretending?
