# Opinion: AI reliance may erode cognitive skills, psychologist warns

Digest AI · Society & Work · published 2026-10-31T08:00:37Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/opinion-ai-reliance-may-erode-cognitive-skills-psychologist-warns

## Summary

Meta has introduced Muse, a personal AI agent that can fill forms, manage calendars, pay bills and make reservations. The author, psychologist Carly Dober, uses the launch as a springboard to argue that excessive dependence on AI tools – from large language models like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini to endless‑scroll social media – can create a “cognitive offloading” effect. This reduces mental effort, weakens neural pathways, and fosters automation bias and privacy paradox behaviours.

Dober cautions that the convenience of AI comes at the cost of reduced curiosity, problem‑solving stamina and data privacy. She recommends deliberately adding friction: logging out of sessions, restricting AI use to desktop computers, waiting 30 minutes before asking a question, writing drafts by hand and scheduling screen‑free periods. These habits, she says, can preserve cognitive reserve and protect personal data.

The piece is an opinion column, not a news report, and does not present new empirical findings, but it frames the broader societal debate about AI’s impact on mental health and personal autonomy.

## Key points

- Meta launched Muse, an AI personal agent that handles forms, calendars, bills and reservations.
- The author warns that AI overuse can cause cognitive offloading, automation bias and privacy paradox effects.
- She suggests adding friction—logouts, desktop‑only use, 30‑minute wait, manual drafting—to protect mental sharpness.

## Why it matters

If widespread AI reliance dulls critical thinking and privacy awareness, society could face reduced problem‑solving abilities and greater data exploitation.

## Sources

1. [Relying on AI is rotting your brain. But here’s what you can do about it](https://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/31/ai-rely-brain-new-tech-product-lives-boredom) (The Guardian AI, 2026-10-31)

Part of the developing story: [Rise of Agentic Commerce in Retail](https://digestai.news/thread/google-expands-agentic-commerce-tools-for-holiday-retail) (10 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Opinion: AI reliance may erode cognitive skills, psychologist warns", 31 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/opinion-ai-reliance-may-erode-cognitive-skills-psychologist-warns

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