AI isn’t the problem. The way we use it is.
Every few weeks, someone declares that AI is ruining our ability to think.
“Students don’t learn to write anymore!”
“People just copy/paste ChatGPT answers!”
“We’re outsourcing our brains to bots!”
One article even blamed ChatGPT for weeds in the lawn. (Okay, not really—but we’re getting close.)
Let’s step back for a second.
AI isn’t the problem.
How we use AI is.
Tools don’t make us dumber. Misusing them does.
This isn’t the first time a new tool has triggered panic.
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The calculator? “Kids will never learn math.”
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Spellcheck? “They won’t learn how to spell.”
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Google? “No one will remember anything!”
Sound familiar?
These tools didn’t destroy thinking. They changed where we spend our mental energy.
AI will do the same—if we use it the right way.
Meet the smartest intern you’ve ever hired
Here’s how I think about it:
AI is the world’s smartest intern.
It’s fast. It’s tireless. It can do things in seconds that used to take you hours.
But would you ever say:
“Hey intern, come up with the company strategy for next quarter. I’ll be in the break room.”
Nope. That’s not how interns work.
You guide them. You teach them. You check their work.
Same goes for AI.
Used right, it’s your creative partner.
Used wrong, it’s a confidence-sounding machine that’s often very wrong.
Actually… it’s a whole team of interns
Once I started thinking of AI this way, I realized something:
It’s not just one intern. It’s a whole team.
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Intern #1: Researches your topic
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Intern #2: Organizes your outline
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Intern #3: Drafts your blog post or script
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Intern #4: Suggests better headlines and hooks
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Intern #5: Creates pictures (this intern is on a Performance Improvement Plan)
Each one saves me time. Each one sharpens my work.
But none of them do the thinking for me.
That’s still my job.
Another way to think of it (and one of my favorites)
AI’s basically a Labrador Retriever / Genius Intern hybrid.
It’s eager, fast, and wants to help—
But leave it unsupervised, and it’ll clear your digital counters and poop in your executive summary.
(Note to my dogs Maisy and Jesse – sorry, but you know it’s true).
Use the tool for what it’s good at
Want to use a hammer to drive a nail? Perfect.
Want to use a hammer to drill a hole? That’s going to end badly.
AI is the same.
Used for research, brainstorming, polishing, and productivity—it’s a game-changer.
Used to replace your brain? That’s where it gets dicey.
Yes, I used AI to help write this. No, it didn’t write it for me.
I came up with the idea.
I outlined the flow.
Then I asked AI to help me organize it and catch rough spots.
Then I edited everything—because it’s my name on the byline, not my intern’s.
Final thought
AI can make us better.
Faster. Sharper. More creative.
But only if we treat it like what it is:
A tool. Not a replacement. A brilliant intern—not an oracle.
What do you think?
Will AI make us dumber?
Or will it help us level up… if we use it wisely?