New study shows AI chatbots are undermining workers' self-confidence — and it raises some very serious questions
The study found that workers who relied heavily on AI tools for decision-making tended to doubt their own abilities and judgment. This lack of confidence could potentially hinder their performance and job satisfaction. It is important for organizations to provide proper training and support for employees to build their confidence in using AI technologies effectively. This research highlights the importance of balancing AI integration with empowering human workers. Organizational strategies should focus on fostering a healthy relationship between human workers and AI tools to optimize performance and well-being.
Driving on Ice in an Audi A8
I was driving on a sheet of ice in an Audi A8, and the conditions were far from perfect. I’m not exactly proficient at winter driving, even though I’ve lived my whole life in colder climates. Alone in the driver’s seat, I felt a bit unsure about the road conditions as I drove on a desolate country road.
Speeding along at about 55mph, hoping the winter tires kept me centered on the road, I approached a familiar roadway that gleamed like a frozen lake. Suddenly, a school bus appeared at the top of the hill, driving in the middle of the road since the center yellow lines were covered in thick-packed ice and snow. My first reaction, being a flawed human acting on emotion and split-second thinking, was to swerve suddenly to the right — to avoid the oncoming bus.
And then the automations in that Audi A8 kicked in. With expert precision, the car glided over to the shoulder like it was on rails, adjusting the steering. The accident-avoidance technology had kicked in, tightly monitoring the steering wheel and tire slippage, making sure my quick tug on the steering wheel didn’t cause a crash.
The Age of AI
As we enter the age of AI, there are a few questions that need to be asked. Chief among them is this: Are we okay with AI and other automations doing the thinking for us? Will we accept the fact AI might make decisions for us without our knowledge, and lead to a future where we are not fully aware — from a cognitive standpoint — how the AI made those decisions?
A recent study by Microsoft and Carnegie-Mellon is enlightening in this regard. Researchers surveyed 319 knowledge workers and discovered they felt a lack of confidence in their own cognitive abilities after using the best AI chatbots. The study noted that AI tools reduce the perceived effort required for critical thinking tasks among knowledge workers.
The Impact of AI on Human Cognition
Since that incident in the Audi, I’ve become a better winter driver as the technology has only improved. Today, cars can drive on their own, keeping you centered in your lane. An algorithm knows where you are on the roadway and can avoid oncoming cars (and school buses).
As a journalist, I’ve driven hundreds of vehicles. Since that incident, I’ve almost always enabled the safety tech in cars I’m testing. And yet, I wonder what is happening to me. I wonder who I’m becoming and if I am giving up some of myself in favor of a machine that thinks for me. Worse, I wonder if my over-reliance on technology is making it harder to learn, grow, and improve.
The Dangers of Over-Reliance on Technology
The most dangerous threat is the one you don’t even know about. If it’s true that AI is slowly making us dumber as we rely on technology, it will be a slow process. We don’t have to look far to see how other technologies have changed how we think.
Well-known author Nicholas Carr noted in 2008 that we’re losing our minds to Google. Carr updated his theories about the dumbing down of human intelligence in a new book, published in early 2025, that chronicles an even greater threat: the rise of social media and other tech.
The Future of AI and Human Intelligence
By 2027, data centers bigger than Manhattan will pop up everywhere and consume about 4.2 billion cubic meters of water annually. AI now translates written text about 100 billion times per day. It’s inevitable that AI could replace or at least augment human cognition; we won’t even fully understand what AI is doing or why.
Our ability to reason, problem-solve, and adapt are skills that we learn slowly over time. AI is a tool for progress, and in the end, it needs to be seen solely as an add-on — not a replacement for humans.