# Is AI Making Us Less Intelligent?

Exploring AI's impact on critical thinking with Lorraine Marchand.

- **Source:** [Afford Anything® (affordanything.com)](https://brifing.si/source/cd7e48cc-c9bd-48ac-a59f-b2aca5b150da)
- **Published:** 2026-07-10
- **Topic:** [Data & AI](https://brifing.si/c/data-ai)
- **Original article:** <https://affordanything.com/ai-and-critical-thinking/>
- **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/4d1d84fe-e838-44d1-a328-76c4c52ec396

## Declining IQ and AI Connection

IQ scores have been declining since the 1970s, and some argue that the widespread use of artificial intelligence is accelerating this trend. Lorraine Marchand, who teaches management at Columbia Business School, attributes this to a phenomenon she calls 'digital dementia'.

## Leadership's Role in Company Culture

Marchand's interviews with 120 CEOs reveal that company culture is shaped by leaders at all levels, not just top management. Teams that foster psychological safety and openly discuss failures tend to be more successful, according to her research.

## AI as a Thinking Partner

The most effective way to use AI is as a 'thinking partner,' Marchand suggests. Develop your own ideas first, then ask AI to challenge your assumptions. This approach helps uncover blind spots in your reasoning and strengthens critical thinking.

## The Danger of Digital Dementia

Over-reliance on AI, search engines, and digital tools may weaken memory retention and critical thinking skills. Marchand warns that the brain develops through struggling with ideas, not by outsourcing cognitive processes to technology.

## Skills AI Can't Easily Replace

As technical tasks become more automated, human skills like communication, leadership, empathy, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking are becoming increasingly valuable. Marchand emphasizes the importance of investing in these areas for future success.

## The AI Board Experiment

Marchand's project to create an 'agentic AI board of directors' for her company pushes the boundaries of AI's role in decision-making. Joking that it might one day vote to fire her, this experiment explores the limits of machine participation in governance.

## Sources covering this story

- https://affordanything.com/ai-and-critical-thinking/ — 

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_Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._