I was having a beer with a friend who said he was getting dumber. He blamed it on his frequent use of AI (not frequent use of alcohol). I have had the same feeling at times with my own use of AI, particularly when using it to help me write. Since writing is thinking, am I delegating the thinking because it can be difficult?
New research suggests this concern is real. A recent Microsoft study found that as people grow more confident in using AI, their critical thinking declines. Teens are noticing it too. One 14-year-old sketch artist put it perfectly: “I wouldn’t feel satisfied if I just typed and it made art for me. The process of thinking it through—feeling like, ‘my hand hurts but I’m close to finishing’—that’s what makes it meaningful. You can’t enjoy that if AI just does it for you.” So what can we do?
Use AI at the beginning or end of a project, not in the “messy middle” where reasoning and decision-making matter most.
When you use AI, ask it for contrasting perspectives or prompts that critique and/or reflect on its own responses.
Practice debating with others. There are huge cognitive benefits come from it, and you can even use AI as your debating partner.
Actually, my friend and I debate over beer all the time. Maybe I’m ok.
AI & Brand Discovery
How can my brand show up more in ChatGPT responses? That’s the big question many marketers are asking. Agencies and consultancies have predictably launched new practice areas to serve this growing interest, sometimes called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) or Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). But for now, the practices here look a whole lot like SEO: publish useful, structured, and authoritative content over time. The main difference may be creating more content to answer the exploratory questions people bring to chatbots.
What about Google? In Canada, Google is rolling out AI mode - the feature that many publishers fear is killing site traffic. They’re also experimenting with ad formats in this new interface. You can try it here. Many say AI will kill Google, but this article argues the opposite: if high-intent shoppers still use Google, advertisers will still value it as the “last touch” at the bottom of the funnel.
Amazon is also feeling the impact. For years, it’s been the starting point for many shopping searches. To protect that position, Amazon is blocking bots from scraping its product data for AI tools, while launching its own assistant - Rufus (see other retailer bots here). Meanwhile, manufacturers are taking the opposite approach - making sure their metadata is clean and structured so AI tools can easily find and recommend their products.
AI & Ad Agencies
I feel for ad agency owners. Advertising is tough business in the best of times, and AI is making it tougher. In-house teams are ramping up creative production (Kimberly-Clark now produces hundreds of AI-powered ads daily). Brands are also taking more control of media spend (direct US advertiser investment has jumped from 9.8% in 2019 to 30.3% in 2024). The size of the ad industry pie is shrinking.
So, what can agencies do to respond?
Rethink time-based business models and focus on value (as defined by the client), with AI-driven efficiencies increasingly expected.
Evolve the agency talent mix by investing in AI-focused roles like data scientists and AI Ops folks.
Focus on what AI isn’t good at (yet) - deep consumer psychology and cultural insight. Stay upstream.
Be transparent with clients about AI tools, policies, and guidelines to build trust and alignment.
Go beyond efficiency to explore new ways of creating value – and potentially grow the pie.
Cool Beans
Vibe Coding Example: Stephen Beck has a great write-up on how he ‘vibe-coded’ a cool website listing places to visit across the Hudson Valley.
21 Ways to Use AI at Work: The NYT shares how 21 people from very different jobs use AI at work – from selecting wines for restaurant menus to translating legalese.
Talk to Statues: The Palace of Versailles collaborated with OpenAI to create an app where visitors can “speak” with 20 statues in the gardens.
Gemini Storybook: A fun one for kids: describe any story you’d like, and get a personalized, illustrated storybook.
