When ChatGPT Turns Execs Into Zombie Thinkers
How cognitive shortcuts are killing strategic thinking (and no, this isn’t just another AI panic)
When ChatGPT Turns Execs Into Zombie Thinkers
How cognitive shortcuts are killing strategic thinking (and no, this isn’t just another AI panic)
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There’s a strange quiet spreading through boardrooms. Ideas are cleaner, more structured—and eerily lifeless. You know the type: decks that look great, sound smart, and say... nothing.
MIT Media Lab
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Turns out, this might not be accidental. A recent study of 666 professionals (make of that number what you will) found that the more leaders rely on AI tools like ChatGPT, the more they offload actual thinking. The correlation? A disturbing –0.68 between AI use and critical reasoning. MIT’s Media Lab even found lower brain activity and creative engagement when using AI for writing. Translation: your exec team might be looking sharp while running on autopilot.
It’s not about being anti-tech. It’s about what happens when decision-makers stop deciding and start parroting. Over time, this erosion of cognitive autonomy doesn’t just impact the quality of ideas—it dilutes accountability, dulls strategic instinct, and creates cultures that confuse velocity with vision.
Humanized Business practitioners have been quietly observing this shift for years. And while we’re not in the business of preaching, it’s worth asking:
What happens to a company when its most powerful minds become passive?
Drop a comment—or better: disagree with this.
It’s the least robotic thing you can do.