AI reliance may weaken thinking, Shaw says; pilots offer workers who want to avoid deskilling an answer

Aviation’s approach to automation

Pilots have relied on autopilot for decades. At a recent OxGen Summit panel, Shaw said pilots first learn to fly manually and later learn to use autopilot strategically.

Federal aviation guidance encourages pilots to switch off autopilot occasionally to preserve manual skills. In a 2017 alert, the agency recommended that airlines promote periodic practice without autopilot when conditions permit.

Concerns about AI reliance

Shaw’s warning comes as technology leaders, AI researchers and politicians caution that overreliance on AI could weaken workers’ underlying cognitive abilities. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in July that one overlooked risk was “cognitive atrophy.” Arthur Mensch, CEO of French AI startup Mistral, said last year that the technology’s biggest risk could be “deskilling.” Shaw’s research suggests people may increasingly accept AI answers without critically examining them.

Research on outsourced thinking

Early research indicates that people may readily hand over parts of their thinking to AI. AI researcher and theoretical neuroscientist Vivienne Ming told Business Insider in March that an experiment with 72 participants found roughly 90% to 95% relied on AI to generate answers or validate assumptions, rather than challenge and deepen their thinking.

Shaw urged people to think before turning to AI. “Just think first and then go to the prompt,” he said at the panel.