A Provocative Warning About the Future of Human Thought
In a recent piece titled The End of Thinking, writer Derek Thompson issued a striking warning about the accelerating rise of artificial intelligence. The article gained wider attention when Nicola Riva, a Meta-Coach and Neuro-Semantic Trainer based in Thailand, shared it within her professional networks.
Thompson highlighted an alarming message circulating among leading AI executives: “You have 18 months.” According to these leaders, by mid-2027 AI may surpass human cognitive capabilities so dramatically that many white-collar roles—particularly entry-level positions—could disappear. Some predict that even Nobel-level thinkers will struggle to keep pace with what they call “a country of geniuses in a data center.”
AI Isn’t the Real Threat—The Decline of Human Thinking Is
While this futuristic scenario is unsettling, Thompson offered an even more compelling insight:
“The rise of AI’s ‘thinking’ machines is not the problem. The decline of thinking people is.”
AI today functions as a mirror—it reflects the quality of the questions and clarity of thought presented to it. Poorly framed questions yield shallow or unhelpful answers. In other words, AI does not replace human thinking; it responds to it.
This distinction has long been emphasized in the field of Neuro-Semantics. Meaningful communication, change, and personal transformation ultimately rest on the strength of one’s thinking. Without skills in critical, creative, or executive thinking, individuals risk defaulting to AI as a cognitive substitute rather than a tool.
The Decline of Reading and Writing: Pillars of Deep Thought
Thompson also documented two disturbing trends:
- a decline in writing ability
- an even sharper decline in reading habits
These are significant because, as computer science professor and author Cal Newport asserts, they form the “twin pillars of deep thinking.” Modern economies increasingly depend on symbolic reasoning and systems thinking—abilities cultivated through sustained reading and thoughtful writing.
Research further suggests that literacy does more than transmit skills; it restructures the brain. Walter Ong, in Orality and Literacy, argued that reading and writing expand cognitive space, enabling more complex thought. Thompson warned that as literacy declines, the “logic engine” of the human mind becomes “unwired”—precisely when advanced AI appears on the horizon.
Writing as a Form of Thinking
One of Thompson’s strongest arguments is that writing is not separate from thinking—it is thinking. An article in Nature titled “Writing Is Thinking” reinforced this idea, warning that if scientists outsource writing to AI, they risk losing understanding of their own discoveries. The same applies to students, professionals, or anyone who allows AI to produce words while the mind remains disengaged.
Many thought leaders echo this sentiment: writing forces clarity, precision, and depth. Attempting to explain an idea in writing often reveals gaps in understanding and invites deeper learning.
Strengthening Mental Muscles: “Time Under Tension”
To illustrate how individuals can rebuild intellectual strength, Thompson used a metaphor from the fitness world: time under tension. In strength training, slowing down a movement increases the strain on muscles, resulting in greater growth.
He suggested that thinking benefits from the same principle. Sitting with challenging or loosely connected ideas—holding them in “mental tension”—enables new insights to emerge. This reflective practice activates higher-order executive functions, especially self-reflexivity in the prefrontal cortex.
A simple exercise: take one principle and hold it in mind. Explore how it applies across different areas of life for 30 minutes each day over a week. Such deliberate cognitive tension can significantly strengthen thinking capacity.
A Call to Reclaim Human Thought
Thompson’s article concludes with a powerful message: at the very moment AI is accelerating, humanity must double down on its most irreplaceable capability—thinking. Reading, writing, reflecting, and questioning are no longer optional intellectual habits; they are survival skills in an AI-enabled world.
The end of thinking, if it arrives, will not be caused by machines. It will be caused by humans choosing not to think.
Curated by Danielle Tan.
Reference:
- [Meta-Coaches] 2025 Morpheus #50 THE END OF THINKING by L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. Executive Director, ISNS.
