Don’t let AI think for you — Citartan Marimuthu

JUNE 30 — Imagine arriving home after a long day at work. The lights automatically adjust to suit your mood, dinner is already ordered, and your schedule for tomorrow has been neatly organised. You thank your assistant for making life easier.

The assistant replies politely, “It’s my pleasure.”

The interesting part? There is no person standing in front of you. No human assistant. No family member. Not even a pet. Instead, you are speaking to artificial intelligence (AI), an invisible helper that has quietly become part of our daily lives.

Today, AI is everywhere. It helps us write emails, summarise reports, translate languages, plan holidays, manage finances and even generate music, images and videos. In healthcare, AI can analyse medical images and assist doctors in detecting diseases earlier and more accurately. In weather forecasting, it can identify complex climate patterns and improve predictions of floods, storms and other natural disasters.

As a lecturer and researcher, I often use AI to stay updated with the latest scientific discoveries. It helps me identify research gaps, organise information and generate ideas. Many professionals now rely on AI as a virtual assistant that never gets tired, never sleeps and never complains. There is no denying that AI is one of the most transformative technologies ever created.

However, amid all the excitement, an important question deserves attention: Are we becoming so dependent on AI that we are slowly neglecting our own intelligence?

The concern is not whether AI is intelligent. The concern is whether excessive reliance on AI may weaken our ability to think critically, analyse information independently and solve problems on our own.

Human intelligence, like a muscle, needs regular exercise. The principle is simple: use it or lose it. When people routinely allow AI to perform tasks that require reasoning, analysis or creativity, they may gradually engage less with the mental processes needed to develop these skills. Instead of evaluating information, questioning assumptions or exploring alternative perspectives, many users simply accept AI-generated answers at face value.

This phenomenon is increasingly attracting attention among researchers. A study published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications found that excessive dependence on AI tools was associated with lower levels of critical thinking among university students. While AI improved efficiency, it also encouraged some users to become passive recipients of information rather than active thinkers.

The issue is not limited to students. Professionals can also become overly dependent on AI-assisted systems. In highly specialised fields, constant reliance on automated recommendations may reduce confidence in independent judgement and decision-making.

This raises an important concern. What happens when AI is unavailable? Can we still perform effectively without it?

The answer may not always be reassuring. Yet this does not mean AI is the enemy. Far from it. AI is extraordinarily good at processing vast amounts of information. It can identify patterns across millions of data points in seconds. It can automate repetitive tasks and increase productivity. These capabilities make it a powerful partner for humanity. But AI also has limitations.

Unlike humans, AI does not possess genuine emotions, empathy or moral judgement. It does not understand human experiences in the way people do. It can generate ideas, but it does not experience inspiration. It can mimic creativity, but it does not truly imagine. It can provide recommendations, but it does not possess intuition or conscience.

These uniquely human qualities remain essential in education, healthcare, leadership, policymaking and countless other areas of society. Recent research has also demonstrated that AI still struggles with certain forms of novel problem-solving. In the First Proof project, several advanced AI systems were tested using original, unpublished mathematical problems designed by leading mathematicians.

Although the AI models successfully solved many of the questions, some remained beyond their capabilities. The unresolved problems required intuitive reasoning, creative thinking and the ability to challenge underlying assumptions – qualities that remain distinctly human.

Humans naturally question, doubt and reassess. We can recognise when an idea feels incomplete or when a conclusion appears flawed, even before we have all the evidence. This cautious and reflective approach often enables us to solve entirely new problems that have never been encountered before.

AI, by contrast, depends heavily on patterns learned from existing data. When faced with unfamiliar situations, it can sometimes produce confident but inaccurate answers. That is why the future should not be viewed as a competition between human intelligence and artificial intelligence. Instead, it should be a partnership. AI should enhance human thinking, not replace it.

As educators, parents and professionals, we must encourage the responsible use of AI while continuing to nurture curiosity, creativity and critical thinking. Technology should support learning, not become a substitute for it.

Perhaps the best way to think about intelligence is as a garden. A thriving garden requires continuous care. We plant seeds, water them, remove weeds and patiently cultivate growth.

AI can provide the seeds. But only human beings can nurture the garden, shape its direction and harvest its fruits wisely. In the age of artificial intelligence, our greatest responsibility is not simply learning how to use AI. It is ensuring that we never stop using our own minds.

*Associate Professor Dr Citartan Marimuthu is from Pusat Kanser Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Universiti Sains Malaysia.

**This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.