"Use AI as an orthotic, not a prosthetic, to protect cognition With AI tools now capable of doing most knowledge work, the speaker warns that how you use them determines whether your brain grows or atrophies. Using AI as a 'cognitive orthotic' means doing the hard thinking yourself first, then asking the AI what you missed — a method shown in student writing studies to preserve and build cognitive capacity. Using it as a 'cognitive prosthetic,' by contrast, means "using it instead of your brain, as if you didn't have a brain," which the speaker observes is causing colleagues to "deskill in real time." Deciding to always attempt the task independently before consulting AI is a concrete habit that guards against the gradual loss of your own thinking skills. Source: Guest Speaker, Podcast Episode, Future-Proof Your Brain"