AI in 5: Cognitive Offloading: When AI Helps Learning — and When It Does the Thinking for Us (June 1, 2026)

Is AI making your students smarter — or doing their thinking for them? In this episode of AI in 5, The AI Learning Guide JR breaks down cognitive offloading: the process of shifting mental work onto external tools like calculators, GPS, and now AI assistants. In education, this raises a critical question — when does helpful become harmful? Research shows a significant negative relationship between frequent AI use and critical thinking, with cognitive offloading as a key mechanism. One high-pr...