In this July 22, 2024, article for Newsweek, Pandora Dewan talks to University of Waterloo professor Mohamed Elmasry, who recently published a book called iMind: Artificial and Real Intelligence. According to Elmasry, “our increasing reliance on AI could be raising our risk of developing dementia and other forms of cognitive decline.”

Using Google and other search engines has prevented us from exercising and training the brain, causing AI to replace what Elmasry calls “real” intelligence. Elmasry adds, “We should know what AI can and can’t do…Real intelligence is far more important; we should take care of it by paying attention to our physical, mental, and spiritual fitness”.

Editor’s Note: “Use it or lose it”. We know this to be true for muscles and neural pathways. While there is more to a human being than our brains [here is an introductory article you can read about this: CONSCIOUSNESS IS NOT IN THE BRAIN: WHAT THE SCIENCE SHOWS], we agree with Elmasry that a balance between brain activity and rest is necessary for a healthy brain.

How, then, can you best “exercise” your brain? Here are a couple of ways:

• Learn the art of contemplation: reflect on your personal values and goals
• Engage in a new hobby or learn a new skill
• Exercise physically

Also, keep in mind this important principle of neuroplasticity: repetition matters! If you want to learn a skill truly, you must use it enough times to become “ingrained,” not just in the brain but also in other parts of your body. If you want to change a habit, you must first find a new behavior to replace the old one and “exercise” the new behavior enough times to become a habit!

This article is important because we live in an ultra-convenient world where we only need to touch a button, and everything gets completed with minimal effort. If we allow ourselves to be engulfed by “lazy” norms, breaking laziness becomes harder and harder. If we keep using AI to answer our questions, our capacity for critical thinking dies. We must understand this: as our societies become more “convenient”, we must exert extra effort to discover new skills and find our life purpose, or we might end up like these humans from the movie Wall-E (see video below).

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