Good morning. Artificial intelligence is just the latest technology to stoke fears of human decline – more on that below, along with details on a sweeping U.S. travel ban and why Canada Post negotiations are still going. But first:

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Hi, I’m Joe Castaldo, a reporter on the business team who writes about artificial intelligence.

Following the world of AI is like a Rorschach test. You will hear that generative AI is a powerful technology that will change the world, but that it also had difficulties counting the number of Rs in the word “strawberry” not long ago. AI is going to make our lives better, we’re told, but it could throw a lot of us out of work.

Another dichotomy has interested me lately. The stock line from developers is that AI will empower us humans and enhance our skills. But maybe it carries the potential to erode our abilities instead.

I first came across a study months ago that found a greater reliance on generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, is associated with lower critical thinking abilities, especially among young people. At one level, this seemed blindingly obvious – like, duh – but it turned out to be more complicated.

The ability to assess, analyze and question information and to solve problems independently are fundamental and crucial human traits. Generative AI tools, which can write competently about anything, create computer code, and integrate with other applications to complete yet more tasks, promise to relieve us of a lot of difficult mental work.

This study suggested that, at worst, a vicious cycle could play out, where reliance on AI breeds more reliance, and our critical thinking skills decay.

Other studies have explored this connection. While the results are certainly mixed, there is a common theme that overreliance on the technology and skill atrophy are risks, at the very least. Even research from Microsoft, which is betting big on AI, acknowledged the possibility – with a lot of nuance, to be clear.

Teachers are especially concerned about the impact of AI, as many of them are seeing students hand in assignments that appear to be written by ChatGPT.

“Despair” is the word Queen’s University professor Mél Hogan used with me to describe how it feels to teach in the age of AI. As an associate professor in the film and media studies department, she wonders what will become of literacy.

She also told me that it’s not a given that humanity will read and write, which sounds extreme. But she’s not wrong. Skills not only have to be practised, but valued by society. Without putting in the hard work of reading, researching, formulating thoughts and solving problems, what, if anything, are AI-reliant students learning?

It’s easy to follow that line of thinking and catastrophize about a coming age of illiteracy. (AI does lead some people to envision grim scenarios, after all.) New technologies have caused anxiety for ages, too. Consider the calculator, or an ever-present navigational tool like GPS.

But what matters is how we use AI tools. We cannot offload the difficult work of cognition and passively accept answers but have to figure out ways to interact with these systems that develop our abilities.

The advice I liked best came from McGill University associate professor Oliver Hardt, who researches neuroscience and memory. “If you don’t know how to do it, you shouldn’t use a tool to do it for you,” he said. “You have to be a master in something in order to outsource it.”

That’s not possible in every circumstance, and good luck to all the educators who have to impart that lesson to a new generation growing up with AI. But it’s something to keep in mind as AI tools become more sophisticated and potentially assume more responsibility for human labour. As many people have noted, the state of AI today is the worst it will ever be.

And if you believe I’m out to lunch about this (it happens), exercise your critical thinking skills and send me an e-mail.

Just please write it yourself.

The United States will bar visitors from 12 countries and impose restrictions on several others after President Donald Trump extended his program of mass deportations and locking down borders, saying the latest measures will “keep bad people out of our country.” Here’s what to know about the new rules.