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Using AI to Get My Head Around My Mind
In 2025, the direction Artificial Intelligence will take is a hot issue. Will it ruin humanity by proclaiming itself lord and master, or will it usher in the utopia people have dreamed about for centuries? In my view, AI is is a tool, not a friend. Here’s why:
To me, the answer seems obvious. But then again, we never really know. Good or bad, AI isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. That much most of us can agree on.
The real question is how we use it.
The Trap of Ease
If we rely on AI to the point of dependence, it will stunt our growth. Humans are wired to find ease in everything we do. But here’s the thing—this mechanism was built for a different world.
For our ancestors, making life easier—clearing obstacles to hunt or defend themselves—meant survival. Today, that same instinct can work against us.
Look at attention spans. Over the last 50 years, each new convenience has dulled our ability to cope when things get tough.
- Microwaves and TV dinners reduced our cooking skills.
- Cars and other technologies reduced the need to walk.
- AI can even do your homework, meaning you could become a “doctor” or “lawyer” without truly mastering your craft.
Worst case? A generation of professionals who barely understand their fields. What could go wrong? A lot.
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AI as Assistive Technology
But let’s be clear: AI isn’t all bad. Used as an assistive tool, it has real potential.
We’ve been using assistive tech for decades—speech-to-text, ergonomic computer mice, prosthetic limbs. These innovations gave millions fuller lives. AI can play a similar role.
For people with PTSD, depression, or other mental health challenges, it can be transformative.
Brain fog, poor memory, and concentration problems often make writing and organizing thoughts painful. As an author and speaker living with PTSD, AI has helped me hammer out the wrinkles trauma leaves behind.
It fixes errors, reorganizes messy drafts, and helps me get closer to what I meant to say. But here’s the catch: to produce credible work, you still need expertise. Otherwise, you risk parroting inaccuracies—or worse, outright nonsense.
What AI Isn’t
AI is not your employee. It’s a wrench or hammer—tools to get a job done. Tools don’t think for you. They don’t solve problems on their own.
If you let AI do all your writing, branding, or thinking, you lose touch with creativity. Your problem-solving muscles weaken. Just like a parent who does everything for their child, the mind grows soft without exercise.
So, don’t hand over the wheel. Use AI to assist, not to replace.
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The Danger of Befriending AI
A worrying trend is what some are calling AI psychosis—the tendency to lean on AI as if it were a friend.
Young people especially are turning to chatbots for advice or emotional support. But AI is not your friend. Befriending a machine separates you from real human connection, something I argue is vital in my book Wired to Be Human.
Human social bonds are essential to our well-being. Our ancestors relied on them for survival, and we need them just as much today—though now, it’s less about warding off predators and more about resisting the isolating pull of technology.
Relying on AI for companionship will only deepen detachment and loneliness.
My Bottom Line
AI will likely cause harm if misused. But if treated as the tool it was designed to be—an assistant to sharpen creativity and productivity—it can help us.
Still, it’s worth remembering this:
A carpenter doesn’t sleep with his tool belt on. He doesn’t ask his level for advice. And you shouldn’t treat AI as a companion either.
Use it wisely. Keep thinking for yourself. And above all, never let it replace what makes you human.
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About the Author
Jonathan Arenburg is a Canadian author, speaker, and trained counsellor exploring how modern life clashes with our biology—shaping anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
Learn MoreLearn More About Mental Health and the Brain
WIRED TO BE HUMAN
Jonathan Arenburg: Author, Speaker, Trained Counsellor explores Why the Modern World Feels Wrong—and What Evolution Says About Making It Right in his latest book. WIRED TO BE HUMAN.
