During the Eid gathering, I overheard a conversation between two university students in Muscat. One was busy working on an assignment, while the other was planning a family holiday. The student working on his assignment was using ChatGPT to summarise a chapter from an e-book, generate ideas for a university presentation, and draft an email to his professor regarding the assignment. Meanwhile, the other student was asking ChatGPT to create a holiday plan, compare hotels, and recommend places for his family to visit.
This was just one conversation I happened to overhear during Eid. Yet, it perfectly reflects the reality we live in today. Almost everyone seems to be asking ChatGPT for answers. It is no longer limited to students. Professionals use it at work, parents use it for daily decisions, and even some grandparents have begun turning to AI for assistance.
Many people view this as a sign of technological progress and societal advancement. While there is certainly value in the convenience AI provides, I cannot help but see a potential danger emerging. The more we rely on artificial intelligence to think, write, plan, research, and decide for us, the greater the risk that we gradually stop exercising those skills ourselves.
Today, millions of people rely on AI assistants for tasks that once required searching websites, reading books, asking friends, consulting experts, or simply thinking things through. Do you need a food recipe? Ask ChatGPT. Do you need a business idea? Also, ask ChatGPT. Do you need help writing a speech, solve a problem, or understand a concept? Just ask ChatGPT again!
There is no doubt that AI has become one of the most useful tools ever created. It saves time, improves productivity, and makes knowledge more accessible than ever before. However, life was different before ChatGPT.
When we wanted answers, we visited libraries, browsed search engines, read articles, compared sources, and event spent hours researching. When we faced challenges, we relied heavily on our own reasoning and experience. Yes, the process may have been slower, yet it forced us to think, analyse, and learn. The real concern is not that ChatGPT exists, but what happens when we stop thinking because of ChatGPT.
Consider what happened with GPS navigation. Many today no longer remember routes that they once knew by heart. They follow the google maps (or the like digital map) without questioning it. Studies and everyday experience suggest that heavy reliance on navigation systems can reduce our engagement with spatial awareness and route planning. The convenience is undeniable, but some skills weaken when they are no longer used. The same risk exists with over reliance on AI too.
If people depend on ChatGPT for every answer, they may gradually lose important skills such as critical thinking, creativity, research, analysis, and independent judgment. The danger is not that AI becomes smarter than human; the danger is that humans become less willing to use their own intelligence.
AI can sometimes be wrong, outdated, incomplete, or unaware of important context. People who blindly accept every answer may make poor decisions without realising it. Just as a driver should not follow a GPS into a closed road, a user should not follow AI advice without applying common sense. The solution is simple: use ChatGPT as a tool, not as a replacement for thinking. Ask questions, but challenge the answers. Use AI to learn, not to just simply copy. Let it accelerate your work, but do not allow it to do all your thinking. Continue reading books, seeking human perspectives, conducting research, and exercising your own judgment.
To conclude my article this week, let me emphasise that technology is at its best when it enhances human capability, not when it replaces it. The future does not belong to people who know how to use AI, nor to people who avoid it. It belongs to those who can combine the power of AI with the power of their own minds. Until we catch up again next week, feel free to ask ChatGPT for help, but don't forget to ask yourself first.
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