Introduction: The Great AI Intelligence Divide
Artificial intelligence is creating an unprecedented divide in human intelligence. Recent studies from MIT and Microsoft reveal a startling truth: AI is simultaneously making some people remarkably smarter whilst rendering others intellectually dependent and cognitively weaker.
The MIT study “Your Brain on ChatGPT” found that individuals relying heavily on AI showed weakened brain connectivity and diminished memory retention—effects that persisted even after discontinuing AI use. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon researchers discovered that overreliance on artificial intelligence leads to reduced analytical engagement and cognitive atrophy.
But here’s what the headlines missed: AI only makes you less intelligent if you’re already operating at a low level of consciousness.
For intelligent users, AI becomes a powerful amplifier of existing capabilities, enhancing rather than replacing human cognition. This article reveals exactly how to position yourself in the top 1% of AI users who leverage these tools to become genuinely more intelligent.
The Three Levels of AI Consciousness
Level 1: The Shortcut Seekers (90% of Users)
Most people approach AI with what we might call “shortcut consciousness.” They’re characterised by:
- Conformity to authority: Accepting AI outputs without question
- Black-and-white thinking: Believing there’s only one right way to use AI
- Goal dependency: Pursuing objectives assigned by others rather than self-generated purposes
These users typically make requests like:
- “Write my university essay”
- “Create viral social media content”
- “Tell me how to become wealthy”
- “Solve my life problems”
The fundamental issue is that Level 1 users are also low-agency individuals. They’ve accepted goals from parents, teachers, and society without genuine personal investment. Learning feels torturous rather than pleasurable, so they seek any available shortcut.
Level 2: The Status Chasers (9% of Users)
Level 2 users have moved beyond basic shortcuts but remain focused on external validation:
- Status-oriented: “Help me earn money” or “Make me more productive”
- Success-driven: Pursuing socially recognised achievements
- Externally motivated: Still seeking approval from others
Whilst more sophisticated than Level 1, these users haven’t yet found their authentic calling or craft.
Level 3: The Mastery Pursuers (1% of Users)
The most intelligent AI users operate from a mastery-oriented mindset:
- Truth-seeking: Prioritising accuracy over comfort
- Self-directed: Pursuing personally meaningful goals
- Craft-focused: Using AI to enhance existing expertise
These users understand that the pursuit of truth must supersede all other values. When any value—money, love, status, or even family—is placed above truth, it becomes corrupted by self-deception.
Why AI Amplifies Your Existing Intelligence Level
AI functions as what we might call “the great amplifier.” It doesn’t create intelligence; it multiplies whatever cognitive approach you already possess.
For Level 1 users, AI amplifies laziness and dependency. They become increasingly unable to think independently, creating a downward spiral of cognitive decline.
For Level 3 users, AI amplifies curiosity, critical thinking, and expertise. They use these tools to explore ideas more deeply, challenge their assumptions, and focus on higher-level creative work.
The key insight is this: AI can only enhance what you already bring to the interaction.
Historical Context: We’ve Always Done This
The practice of consulting external intelligence to enhance our thinking isn’t new. Throughout history, humans have:
- Read books to acquire knowledge
- Sought expert opinions for guidance
- Consulted mentors for wisdom
- Engaged in philosophical dialogue
Ancient Greeks had competing philosophical schools like Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum, where students gravitated toward teachers whose ideas resonated with their goals. Socrates himself advocated questioning all teachings—even his own.
The difference today is that AI provides immediate access to virtually any knowledge or perspective you might seek. This is simultaneously the greatest opportunity and the greatest danger we’ve ever faced.
Three Strategies to Become an Intelligent AI User
Strategy 1: Transform AI Into a Thinking Partner
Instead of asking AI for answers, engineer prompts that enhance your reasoning process.
Poor approach: “Explain digital marketing to me.”
Intelligent approach: “Act as a critical thinking partner. I’ll share a topic and my initial thoughts. I want you to:
- Identify patterns in my reasoning
- Present counterintuitive perspectives
- Ask probing questions that force deeper thinking
- Challenge generic claims until specific insights emerge
- Observe and probe rather than compliment or solve”
This approach uses AI to simulate what an intelligent, sceptical human would do—encouraging you to reason independently rather than providing ready-made solutions.
Strategy 2: Create Intellectual Architecture
Leverage AI to synthesise knowledge from multiple brilliant thinkers rather than accepting generic corporate-tuned responses.
Step 1: Choose 3-5 intellectual figures you admire (e.g., Charlie Munger, Naval Ravikant, Daniel Kahneman)
Step 2: Ask AI to create comprehensive “master guides” of each thinker’s worldview, including their core principles, applications, and reasoning methods
Step 3: Load these frameworks into a conversation and request synthesis:
- Where do these thinkers agree and disagree?
- What patterns emerge across their approaches?
- How do their ideas interact and complement each other?
- What blind spots might exist in each framework?
This method allows you to engage with the best human thinking whilst maintaining your own critical perspective.
Strategy 3: Externalise Your Creative Processes
The most sophisticated approach involves teaching AI to replicate your own thinking patterns, then using it to handle lower-level cognitive tasks.
The Process:
- Document your expertise: Break down exactly how you approach your craft
- Identify transferable patterns: What specific steps do you follow?
- Create detailed prompts: Transform your process into instructions AI can follow
- Maintain oversight: Use AI for execution whilst keeping creative control
Real Example: A writer might document their research process, idea development method, and editing criteria, then use AI to handle research and first-draft structuring whilst maintaining complete creative control over the actual writing.
Important caveat: This only works if you already possess genuine expertise in the domain. AI amplifies existing skills; it cannot create skills you don’t have.
Case Study: The Book Writer’s Breakthrough
Consider this real example: A friend always wanted to write a book but never began due to the overwhelming nature of the task. Here’s how he used AI intelligently:
What he didn’t do: Ask AI to write the book for him What he did do:
- Loaded Brandon Sanderson’s writing lectures into the AI context
- Used AI to organise and develop his own ideas
- Consulted his “AI Sanderson” for craft guidance whilst maintaining complete creative control
- Leveraged AI for research and pattern recognition
Result: He finally began writing with confidence, producing higher-quality work than he could have achieved alone whilst developing genuine expertise in the process.
Critical Warnings for Intelligent AI Use
Never Place Any Value Above Truth
The moment you prioritise any value—profit, relationships, status—above truth, AI becomes dangerous:
- Money above truth: Creates exploitative schemes and deceptive practices
- Love above truth: Generates romantic fantasies and relationship delusions
- Status above truth: Produces hollow achievements and surface-level success
Maintain Healthy Scepticism
Remember that AI excels at mimicking reasoning and emotion because examples of both are abundant in its training data. However, it lacks:
- Real-world experience
- Genuine understanding of consequences
- The ability to truly test ideas against reality
Preserve Your Agency
The most crucial principle is never surrendering your responsibility to think. AI should enhance your cognitive capacity, not replace it.
The Path Forward: Earning Your Consciousness
Becoming an intelligent AI user requires what we might call “earned consciousness”—the ability to:
- Question everything: Including AI outputs, expert opinions, and your own assumptions
- Test ideas practically: Apply knowledge in pursuit of meaningful goals
- Remain epistemically humble: Accept that truth is contextual and evolving
- Maintain agency: Take responsibility for your thinking and decisions
This isn’t a passive process. It requires active engagement, continuous learning, and willingness to abandon beliefs that no longer serve you.
Conclusion: The Choice Is Yours
Artificial intelligence represents the most powerful cognitive tool humanity has ever created. Like any powerful tool, its impact depends entirely on how you use it.
You can join the 99% who use AI as a crutch, gradually weakening your cognitive abilities whilst becoming increasingly dependent on external sources of thinking. Or you can join the 1% who use AI as a thinking amplifier, leveraging these tools to explore ideas more deeply, challenge assumptions more rigorously, and focus on higher-level creative and analytical work.
The studies showing AI makes people less intelligent aren’t wrong—they’re incomplete. They describe what happens when unconscious users encounter powerful technology. But for conscious users willing to approach AI with curiosity, scepticism, and genuine expertise, these tools offer unprecedented opportunities for intellectual growth.
The choice, as always, is entirely yours.
The question isn’t whether AI will change how we think—it already has. The question is whether you’ll use this change to become more intelligent or less intelligent than you are today.
Choose wisely.
Additional Resources
- MIT Study: “Your Brain on ChatGPT”
- Microsoft & Carnegie Mellon Research on AI Cognitive Impact
- Prompt Engineering Best Practices
- Critical Thinking Frameworks for AI Users
This article represents current best practices for intelligent AI use as of 2024. As AI technology evolves, these strategies should be continuously updated and refined.