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The Atlantic ·Future-gazing

There Are Three Types of AI Users

by David Brooks

Published 2026-06-28 06:00:00-04:00

When technology makes thinking effortless, what happens to the person who no longer wants to try?

0:00 / 22:25 · Narrator Charon

Context

Published on 28 June 2026, the piece considers a shift in how human value is measured. As tools make tasks frictionless, the defining trait of a person may no longer be raw intelligence, but the internal drive to seek out mental effort rather than avoid it. The argument suggests that the real risk of automation isn't just lost jobs, but a gradual hollowing out of the capacity to think independently. It poses a quiet challenge to the assumption that removing friction from life is always a benefit.

Show notes

An examination of how artificial intelligence is reshaping human work habits and cognitive development. Drawing on psychological research and productivity data, the analysis categorizes users into three groups based on their intrinsic drive for mental effort. It details the risks of cognitive atrophy inherent in automated optimization and argues for an educational shift toward fostering human volition and purpose.

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