Artificial intelligence is changing human thought patterns and cognitive skills

Speaking at the UN Skills Fest 2026 event, neuroscientist David Rock stated that artificial intelligence is transforming the way the human brain processes information, pointing out that critical thinking risks being weakened.

David Rock, co-founder and CEO of the NeuroLeadership Institute, addressed the psychological and cognitive impacts of artificial intelligence at UN Skills Fest 2026, held under the theme "Human at the Centre". He stated that while technology use provides a sense of comfort and control, employees delegating decision-making and critical thinking processes to artificial intelligence could lead to a gradual erosion of reasoning ability.

Stating that an "artificial intelligence fatigue" is being experienced following the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence tools by institutions, Rock noted that only a small minority of employees are freeing up mental capacity for challenging tasks by delegating routine work. He also warned that chatbots could increase human dependency and trigger real-world social disconnection and loneliness, emphasizing the importance of metacognition, or the ability to think about thinking.