Unit 3 Portfolio
Unit 3 Portfolio
You're Not Using AI. AI Is Using You.
This week, you most likely opened ChatGPT at least once. Perhaps to help you begin an essay, decide what to make for supper, or simply to provide an answer to a query you could have looked up on Google. Yes, it felt effective. Even normal. That's precisely the issue.
The majority of people think they are just using AI as a handy tool, but the data points to something much more disturbing: we are progressively delegating our creativity, thinking, and decision-making to systems we don't fully understand, and if we don't set clear boundaries, we run the risk of losing the very cognitive abilities that define humanity.
This is not a warning about science fiction. The majority of us are unaware that it is already occurring.
The Slow Handover
(Fusion Chat, 2023)
When was the last time you sat with a challenging issue and didn't grab for your phone right away? We used no AI to write a first draft. or make a choice, no matter how minor, all by yourself. Those moments are becoming increasingly uncommon for an increasing number of people, particularly students and young professionals.
The adoption of AI has accelerated more quickly in the last two years than any other technology in modern history, according to a 2023 research from the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute. We normalized it before we questioned it, and we embraced it before we understood it. According to a researcher, this is "the largest unmonitored behavioral experiment in human history" (Stanford HAI, 2023).
You should be stopped by that phrase. unwatched. The effects of continuous AI use on our brains, creativity, and capacity for autonomous thought are still unknown. And yet we continue.
What We're Actually Losing
One comment caught my attention when my roommates and I talked about AI for my Unit 2 research. Reese Prater said that "AI may actually be starting to reshape how people think because it encourages people to look for quick answers rather than working through problems themselves." She continues to argue that "if people constantly rely on AI to summarize, explain, or generate ideas, they may become less patient with the slower process of critical thinking and problem solving."
This is not merely a viewpoint. It has long been known by cognitive scientists that we lose skills if we don't practice them. Regular, intense exercise is necessary for memory, analytical reasoning, and creative problem-solving. We not only save time when we delegate that task to AI, but we also completely avoid the workout. Additionally, these skills deteriorate like any unused muscle.
The fear is not that AI is malevolent. It's because there is no friction. We forget there was once a longer, more worthwhile route because it makes the shortcut so seamless.
The Education Crisis Nobody's Talking About
Universities are rushing to draft AI policies, arguing over whether to accept it as a teaching tool or treat it like plagiarism. However, the larger problem is overlooked in each of those discussions. In my research, Sophia Barker noted that "humans are still the ones deciding what to believe, how to interpret it, and what to do with the information." For the time being, that is accurate. But what happens if we let AI translate for us during our four years of college? When we graduate and find ourselves in a research lab, surgical room, or boardroom, what happens?
In a direct statement, McKayla Norris said, "If centuries of highly regarded art, literature, music, etc. were created without AI, we don't need it now." That may sound severe, but it highlights a fact: through hardship, failure, and independent thought, humans created entire domains of human achievement. The foundations we currently stand on were not created by AI. Yes, we
So What Do We Do?
This is not a justification for outlawing AI. It's a case for consciousness and purpose.
The call to action is straightforward: pick one AI-free practice and safeguard it.
Perhaps it's writing your first draft of anything before launching ChatGPT. Perhaps it involves considering a problem for ten minutes before requesting that an AI fix it. Perhaps it's reading a real book, cooking without a recipe generator, or keeping a handwritten notebook. The dedication to maintaining one area of your mind at all times is more important than the practice itself.
The printing press, the calculator, and the internet are just a few examples of how technology has always altered human thought and behavior. Every time, we adjusted. However, adapting does not equate to giving up. The folks who use AI the most won't be the ones who prosper in a world full of it. They will be the ones who understand when not to.
You are more than a mere user. You're a thinker. Avoid outsourcing that.
Sources:
Prater, R., Barker, S., & Norris, M. (2025). Personal interviews conducted for WRT 205 Unit 2 research project.
Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute. (2023). AI Index report 2023. Stanford University. https://aiindex.stanford.edu/report
Carr, N. (2020). The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains. W.W. Norton & Company.
Fusion Chat. (2023). The rise of ChatGPT adoption among college students. https://www.fusion.chat/blog/rise-of-chatgpt-adoption-among-college-students
Claude (Anthropic). (2025). The AI-free practice challenge [AI-generated graphic]. Generated using Claude Sonnet 4.6.
This is a really compelling piece! The argument is sharp and the title "You're Not Using AI. AI Is Using You." is the kind of hook that makes you stop scrolling immediately. What's especially effective is that it doesn't just preach — it actually invites you to reflect on your own habits in real time while you're reading it. The call to action at the end feels genuinely doable rather than preachy, which is rare for this kind of persuasive writing.
ReplyDeleteI like your project, it is interesting. The use of graphics was smart and it backs up your argument. I also wrote about AI, so it is nice to see a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteI liked the way that you used graphics to help you tell your story as you explain. I also think that you chose a great title that can help people that are skimming along to stop and take a deeper look at your writing.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the hook in your introduction, brining that level of empathy towards your audience is a great way to hook them. The graphics were also very helpful when talking about AI I think visuals really helped convey your argument.Great job!
ReplyDeleteThe use of images and graphics really conveys the message of your portfolio. I like how even when there's text, there is not too much, allowing the pictures to carry the story. The title itself sets up the portfolio's message and immediately tells the reader what to expect.
ReplyDelete