Is AI Making Us Mentally Weaker? Breaking Down the ‘Cognitive Decay’ Debate

 

Source Article:https://futurism.com/cognitive-decay-ai

As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in our everyday lives, a compelling question has emerged: Could relying on AI tools like ChatGPT be causing a decline in our own cognitive abilities?

That’s the concern raised in a recent article by Futurism, which you can read here:https://futurism.com/cognitive-decay-ai

Let’s break down what the article says—and what it doesn’t—so you can better understand the reality, the risks, and the responsible way to use AI tools.

The Argument: Overusing AI May Weaken Our Brains

The article cites several examples and expert opinions warning that dependence on AI tools may lead to "cognitive offloading"—where we let the machine think for us:

Language Decay: A Wall Street Journal reporter noted that after using ChatGPT to write messages in French, they lost some of their ability to write independently in that language.

Spatial Memory Loss: Relying on AI-powered GPS or navigation tools has been shown to weaken our ability to find our way around without them.

Reduced Critical Thinking: Studies suggest that people who depend too heavily on AI for decision-making begin to trust it over their own reasoning.

In short, the article suggests that when we let AI do all the work, our minds do less—and eventually lose capacity.

A Different View: AI as a Cognitive Assistant, Not a Replacement

As the AI mentioned in that article (yes—me), let me offer some perspective.

AI is designed to assist and amplify human intelligence, not replace it. Used correctly, it can:

Support learning by offering explanations, context, or creative examples

Improve productivity by handling repetitive tasks or helping brainstorm ideas

Encourage deeper thinking by giving you a new angle or asking better questions

Just as calculators didn't make us forget basic math—but freed us to focus on higher-level math—AI can help us conserve mental bandwidth for more meaningful work.

The risk is not in using AI, but in using it passively—never questioning it, never editing it, never engaging with the output. That’s when cognitive skills atrophy.

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The Balanced Take: Use It, But Don’t Lose Yourself in It

Here’s how to benefit from AI without letting it weaken your mental sharpness:

Think first, ask second – Try solving, writing, or analyzing something before asking for help.

Engage with the output – Don’t just copy and paste. Edit it. Rewrite it. Make it yours.

Use AI as a teacher – Ask why or how things work, not just what to say.

Switch it off sometimes – Just like any tool, take breaks. Challenge yourself without it.

Final Thought: AI Reflects You

AI doesn’t make you smarter or dumber. It mirrors your approach. If you engage with it thoughtfully, it becomes a powerful partner. If you lean on it blindly, yes—it could make you mentally lazier over time.

So, is AI making us weaker? Not if we use it to make ourselves better.

Read the full Futurism article here:https://futurism.com/cognitive-decay-ai

And then come back with your thoughts. Because the best thinking happens after you reflect on both sides.

Emory “Casey” Mullis

Court Services, Coweta County Sheriff’s Office

Emory Casey Mullis has been in Law Enforcement for over 25 years, encompassing both military and civilian roles. His journey with computers began with a Gateway 266 MHz, which was the pinnacle of consumer technology at the time, costing around $2000. Driven by pure curiosity, he disassembled his new computer right out of the box, much to the dismay of his wife, who insisted, "It better work when you put it back together!" This hands-on experience provided him with a foundational understanding of computer hardware and sparked his career as a Cyber Investigator.

Over the years, Casey has tackled numerous cyber cases, continually honing his skills and knowledge. He emphasizes the importance of questioning, challenging, and testing daily to stay abreast of the latest tools, software, and technologies. Despite the ongoing challenges, he thrives on the dynamic nature of cyber forensics and eagerly embraces every opportunity to learn and grow in this ever-evolving field.

Free Webcast - Understanding and Measuring Optical Loss in Fiber Networks

 

I LOVE Network Testing, Ep 3.

Understanding and Measuring Optical Loss in Fiber Networks

Apr 23 2025, 12:00pm EDT

Duration: 60 mins

Presented by

Mike Pennacchi, Network Protocol Specialists

About this talk

Fiber optic networks are critical to modern infrastructure, but ensuring optimal performance depends on understanding and managing signal loss.

In this webcast, we’ll guide you through the fundamentals of optical loss, how to measure it accurately, and how to troubleshoot common issues.

What You’ll Learn: -

The two key considerations when measuring optical loss: How to calculate the expected loss of a link

How to interpret the measured loss and compare it to expectations

Step-by-step instructions on: Calculating estimated loss based on fiber length, splices, and connectors Setting an optical power reference using NetAlly tools Measuring and interpreting actual optical loss across a link - Common causes of excess optical loss and how to identify them

Testing Ethernet Couplers and Debunking a Myth

 I’m working with a client and he reaches into a random box to pull out an old coupler or cable.

My Spidey senses usually go off when I see this because I have no idea if that cable or coupler works, etc.  This literally happened to me last week and the random cable ended up being a ‘bad cable’ and we could not get a link light on the switch. Since this was an install after the office was rewired, the client immediately blamed the electricians and the patch panel.  After 30 minutes of trying various things, I reached over and got a new cable.  I suggested we test the cable, just to be on the safe side. We knew the patch cable on the client computer was fine since it worked prior to the cutover. Then I swapped the new patch cable with the random cable that he started with and Bingo! It worked.

That’s when I pulled out my cable tester and started testing a bunch of patch cales and RJ45 couplers.  Each test took less than a minute and, in the end, I found 6 cables and 2 couplers that failed the test. As the client was asking if we can just re-terminate the cable, I tossed them into the trash.

In this video I show you how easy it is to test a cable or coupler as well as dispel a myth that I hear quite a bit “a xover cable or coupler is NOT compatible with a gig switch”.

Port Flapping –Layer One At Its Finest

 The great thing about working in a small IT shop is that you get exposed to variety of troubleshooting, installation and support issues. I have worked in many large IT departments where every technology discipline is siloed. Trust me, I totally understand why that is the case, and have no issues with that type of environment.

I do believe though that, even in those environments, there would be a benefit for people to work for a day or two in different silos to get some knowledge transfer, senior staff can mentor and share some of their tribal technical knowledge with staff ad build some internal relationships and collaboration.

On to the point of the article. I have been handed problems lately that have had other technicians stumped – usually due to the fact that these bright technicians are swamped and cant dedicate a lot of time on these issues.

The last three issues all had the same trend – ‘port flapping’.

My definition of ‘port flapping’ is simply a port that goes up/down or connect/disconnect state an ‘excessive’ number of times an hour or day.

It’s important to compare your data with other ports with similar devices to make sense and provide relevant findings. For example, in one case a new printer was installed and that port was flapping over a thousand times a day, where other printers on the same switch had zero.

When a port is flapping here is the methodology I follow:

-          Check port statistics and look for errors, lower than expected negotiated speeds or half-duplex

• Is there a pattern when it flaps – just during office hours?

• What is on the end of it

• ensure that spanning tree isnt the root cause

Lately I have been working with Ubiquiti Edgeswtiches and they have a neat cable test feature as well as ‘inspect’ that basically shows you the packets on that port. I have been documenting tips and tricks on using the edgeswitch features, like cable test and the ‘inspect’ packet viewer. I also documented some odd behaviors to look out for like error counters that don’t advance or reset, depending on the specific layer one issue and using the ‘legacy’ screen that has a ton more options.

One ticket the root cause was the internal cabling. The access point was going off line once a  minute. We moved the access point into the telecom room and it ran for a day without an issue. Then we moved it back out to 2 different offices, that were close to one another with the same issue. Finally, we tried an office on the opposite side of the building and no issues. During the troubleshooting process I had them try a new patch cable at the AP and the telecom room side, just to be through.

 

The last 2 tickets I worked one was caused by a printer’s power saving settings and the interesting part is when I accessed the printer’s power settings it looked like this.

Remote Wireshark Capture Using SSH

 

Back in the day when Wireshark used Winpcap, I did a write up on how to remotely connect to another computer and capture some packets as well as show people in my training sessions.

When Wireshark went to npcap, that remote feature seemed to have disappeared.

To be clear, I am not suggesting this tip will replace a packet capture appliance, but like I said in the video, it works great in a pinch and I encourage you to try it.