Hand the same AI tool to two people and one gets sharper while the other quietly gets worse.
A Harvard study found recruiters given near-perfect AI made worse calls than those given a mediocre one, because the good tool worked so well they stopped checking it.
The question of whether AI is making us dumber turns out to have an answer: it depends entirely on which parts of your job you hand over.
In this episode of In The Loop, I'm working through the research on AI deskilling - the recruiter study, Terence Tao working with a pen and paper, the difference between performance and competence and a simple rule for what to give AI and what to guard.
⏭️ Episode highlights
(00:45) – The same tool, opposite outcomes
(02:10) – The recruiters who fell asleep at the wheel
(04:00) – Terence Tao: wider, not deeper
(05:30) – Firehose vs editor
(07:10) – Performance vs competence
(08:50) – The rule: protect your core, rent the rest
(10:40) – Cognitive surrender: wrong 80% of the time
(12:30) – The checks to run before you reach for AI
Episode transcript with more resources on the Mindset AI blog
If you enjoyed this episode, rate, follow, and share. It helps others stay ahead of the latest AI trends.
🤝 We're social
Stay in the loop, even when you're not listening to this podcast.
Jack Houghton
Mindset AI
