AI is changing the way we think. The question is whether we’ll notice in time

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Artificial intelligence promises to make life easier. With a few keystrokes, it can write emails, summarize reports, generate ideas and answer complex questions in seconds. For many people, it feels like a technological leap on par with the arrival of the internet itself.

But according to neuroscientist David Rock, the bigger question is not what AI is doing for us. It is what it might be doing to us.

“In some ways, technology isn’t changing us at all,” Mr. Rock told us.

Human brains still make decisions, solve problems and respond to challenges much as they have for thousands of years. Yet history shows that major events and long-term pressures can leave lasting marks on the brain, shaping behaviour for years or even generations.

The great paradox of AI

Today’s technological revolution may be one of those moments.

The difference, Mr. Rock argues, is that technology increasingly gives us a sense of control over almost everything. Need a ride? Press a button. Want dinner delivered? Press another. Looking for information? It is available instantly.

That growing sense of autonomy can be liberating. But it also creates a subtle trap, especially as AI systems become capable of performing tasks that once required significant mental effort.

‘Keep your brain in the game’

The real concern is not that AI is becoming more powerful. It is that people are becoming too willing to hand over their thinking.

Mr. Rock recently described the current moment as a transition from “AI FOMO” to an “AI hangover”. Organizations rushed to adopt generative AI tools, often before fully understanding their long-term effects. Now the consequences are becoming clearer.

What he sees worries him.

A small minority of workers, perhaps five to 10 per cent, are using AI as intended: offloading routine tasks and freeing up mental capacity for more demanding work. Most, however, are doing the opposite.

Change has never been this fast, but it will never be this slow again – Dr. David Rock

“The brain loves conserving energy,” he said. “It’s very tantalizing to save your brain from thinking at all.”

The result, he warns, is a gradual erosion of judgment. When people outsource not only routine work but also analysis, evaluation and decision-making, they risk losing the ability to distinguish good ideas from bad ones.

AI may provide answers quickly, but speed is not the same as wisdom.

“Keep your brain in the game,” he said. “When your brain’s not in the game, you very quickly lose those skills.”

A crisis of attention

The rise of AI comes at a time when many people are already struggling to focus.

According to Mr. Rock, the greatest challenge facing workers today is not a lack of information but an overwhelming excess of it.

He compares the current moment to the arrival of email, which dramatically increased the amount of information people had to process. Today, however, the scale is far greater. Workers are bombarded by messages, updates, notifications and AI-generated summaries, often far beyond what the human brain can realistically manage.

“Our brains actually have real limits,” he said.

Computers can process thousands of decisions in moments. Humans cannot. Yet many organizations continue to operate as though people have unlimited capacity for attention and decision-making.

Mr. Rock believes society is still in a “settling-in period” with AI, much like the early days of automobiles before traffic laws and speed limits existed. The technology has arrived faster than the social norms and guardrails needed to use it responsibly.

The technology that wants to be your friend

Unlike previous technological breakthroughs, AI may be transforming something even more fundamental than work.

“It hacks attachment,” Mr. Rock said.

While televisions, books and smartphones competed for our attention, AI increasingly competes for our relationships. More and more people are turning to chatbots not merely for information but for conversation, companionship and advice.

That trend concerns him.

Research, he noted, suggests that people who spend significant time interacting with AI companions may feel more lonely rather than less. Other studies point to links between heavy reliance on chatbots and increased disconnection from real-world social interactions.

The human brain evolved around relationships with other people. Replacing too much of that interaction with machines may come at a psychological cost that society is only beginning to understand.

As AI becomes more sophisticated, and as robotics, faster computing and next-generation internet technologies converge, those questions are likely to become even more pressing.

Why human connection may become more valuable

Paradoxically, the more capable machines become, the more valuable human relationships could become.

Mr. Rock believes the future will place a premium on trust, authenticity and genuine human connection. In a world where machines can generate content, analyse data and imitate conversation, what remains uniquely human may become more precious.

“The human experience is going to be that much more high value,” he said.

Rather than replacing people, AI may ultimately increase the importance of human networks, deeper relationships and meaningful collaboration.

That future is not guaranteed. But it is one possible response to a world of accelerating technological change.

And acceleration is exactly what Mr. Rock expects.

“Change has never been this fast,” he said, “but it will never be this slow again.”

The skill that may matter most

So how can people adapt?

Mr. Rock’s answer comes down to a single concept: metacognition, or thinking about thinking.

Instead of allowing AI to take over, he argues that people should remain firmly in control, using these systems to challenge and expand their perspectives rather than replace them.

AI can help people consider viewpoints they might otherwise overlook, test assumptions and explore alternative interpretations. But the responsibility for judgment must remain human.

He calls this approach “human in the lead”.

The technology, he says, works best when it deepens thinking rather than substitutes for it.

As AI becomes woven into everyday life, that distinction could prove critical. The machines may become smarter and faster, but the challenge for humanity will be ensuring that our own minds remain engaged.

Because the future may depend not on how intelligent AI becomes, but on whether we continue exercising the intelligence we already have.

Dr. David Rock, who coined the term “neuroleadership”, is the co-founder and CEO of the NeuroLeadership Institute, a global consultancy that applies neuroscience to leadership and organizational performance. Author of several books, including the bestseller Your Brain at Work and his latest, Your Story Has a Villain, he is one of the keynote speakers at UN Skills Fest 2026, themed People at the Centre.