Alongside these triumphs, however, we’ve seen the darker reflection: a tsunami of AI-generated misinformation flooding our information ecosystems. Conspiracy theories crafted with the coherence and confidence previously reserved for peer-reviewed research. Sophisticated scams targeting the vulnerable with unprecedented precision. Business decisions automated without understanding, educational shortcuts taken without learning, and opinions formed without reflection. The problem isn’t the technology itself. The problem is us. Throughout human history, our technologies have always been amplifiers of our existing tendencies. The printing press spread both scientific knowledge and religious propaganda. Television brought both educational programming and mind-numbing entertainment. The internet connected communities and divided them. AI follows this pattern but with a crucial difference: it operates in the domain of thought itself. It doesn’t just amplify our physical capabilities or our ability to communicate; it amplifies our cognitive processes—our very thinking. And in doing so, it magnifies not just our intelligence but also our intellectual shortcomings. This is the great paradox of our time: the same tools that could elevate humanity to unprecedented heights of achievement might instead entrench our worst cognitive habits. The technology that could help us solve our most pressing problems might instead convince us we’ve found solutions when we’ve merely generated sophisticated-sounding nonsense.