Does AI make us smarter or more dependent?
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of how people learn, solve problems and construct knowledge. Yet whether AI strengthens human intelligence or encourages excessive dependence remains an open question.
Artificial intelligence is becoming intertwined with how people learn, solve issues and gather knowledge. However, it remains unclear whether AI enhances human intelligence or leads to excessive reliance. A research team from Peking University HSBC Business School and Arizona State University s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism analyzed public discussions about AI-assisted learning, published in the journal Comunicar.
The study, which examined Reddit posts from 2013 to 2025, found that AI improves information access, speeds up task completion, and simplifies complex concepts. But it also creates credibility anxiety due to factual errors and flawed reasoning during knowledge acquisition, diminishes independent thinking during comprehension, and raises issues around plagiarism, intellectual property rights, fairness, and accountability during knowledge application.
Public attitudes towards AI-assisted learning oscillate between trust, doubt, and recalibration, with users increasingly relying on collaborative verification to assess AI outputs. The researchers suggest AI is evolving into an intellectual partner, behavioral facilitator, and ethical interlocutor, rather than just a tool. They advocate for transparent, participatory, and phased governance of AI technology to adapt alongside its development.
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