In the age of generative AI and ubiquitous digital tools, human cognition faces a structural paradox: as external aids become more capable, internal memory systems risk atrophy. Drawing on neuroscience and cognitive psychology, this paper examines how heavy reliance on AI systems and discovery-based pedagogies may impair the consolidation of declarative and procedural memory -- systems essential for expertise, critical thinking, and long-term retention. We review how tools like ChatGPT and calculators can short-circuit the retrieval, error correction, and schema-building processes necessary for robust neural encoding. Notably, we highlight striking parallels between deep learning phenomena such as "grokking" and the neuroscience of overlearning and intuition. Empirical studies are discussed showing how premature reliance on AI during learning inhibits proceduralization and intuitive mastery. We argue that effective human-AI interaction depends on strong internal models -- biological "schemata" and neural manifolds -- that enable users to evaluate, refine, and guide AI output. The paper concludes with policy implications for education and workforce training in the age of large language models.

Imagine for a moment you are a child in 1941, sitting the common entrance exam for public schools with nothing but a pencil and paper. You read the following: "Write, for no more than a quarter of an hour, about a British author." Today, most of us wouldn't need 15 minutes to ponder such a question. We'd get the answer instantly by turning to AI tools such as Google Gemini, ChatGPT or Siri. Offloading cognitive effort to artificial intelligence has become second nature, but with mounting evidence that human intelligence is declining, some experts fear this impulse is driving the trend.

Human intelligence scores are dropping across the US for the first time, research suggests, and experts warn technology could be to blame. IQ exams were first introduced in 1905, and throughout the century, there was a 30-point increase based on scores in logic, vocabulary, spatial reasoning and visual and mathematical problem-solving skills. The average IQ score in the US currently stands at 98 but varies by a gap of about eight points between states, with New Hampshire ranking first with an average IQ of 103.2. More research needs to be conducted to determine why IQ scores are falling across the country, but one expert speculated that a drop in reading and an increase in media entertainment, like YouTube, is at fault. There are also concerns that phones degrade our memory and recall because there is less need to store information with Google at our finger tips.

Recently, while waiting for a video meeting to begin, I noticed a young child in the background in the office of one of the participants. As children are usually more interesting than the average videoconference, I was curious about what she was doing. I was amused when I saw her looking at a magazine cover photo and trying to enlarge it with her thumb and forefinger. Her look was one of perplexity, as she realized the image couldn't be manipulated using the pinch-to-zoom motion, such as when using a smartphone. After a few tries, she gave up and walked away, seemingly unconcerned and no longer interested in the photo.

Why we don't need to worry about machines taking over the world … (yet!) Artificial Intelligence (AI) is finally coming of age; for those of us of a certain generation the actual application of AI today is the science fiction of our youth in front of our eyes. For mainstream media and general understanding it appears in the popular press as though the machines are set to take over; making us redundant from'work'. The crushing defeat of Lee Sedol, World Champion at the board game Go by the Google designed and built AlphaGo artificial intelligence machine has attracted headlines globally. Far more complex than Chess in terms of possible moves AlphaGo won the series 4-1 based on its capability to'learn' through playing itself numerous times; attracting headlines for its'creativity' and'intuition' in the moves it made on its way to victory. But how clever is it?