How to Use AI Without Letting It Rot Your Brain

AI can boost your thinking but it can also replace it completely. In this episode, we explore how to use AI in a way that strengthens your brain instead of weakening it. Host Olivia Ojala is joined by neuroscientist Mona Moisala and Pactum AI co-founder Kaspar Korjus to discuss what research says about AI’s impact on cognition, memory, and decision-making. When does AI enhance learning, and when does it lead to shallow thinking?

You’ll hear practical insights for professionals and leaders: how to use AI as a co-thinker, what tasks to delegate, how to avoid “AI slop,” and why “think first, prompt second” might be the most important rule of all. A must-listen for anyone navigating AI at work and wanting to stay sharp while doing it.

00:00 – Intro: Is AI Enhancing or Rotting Your Brain?

02:21 – The Neuroscience of AI: Cognitive Offloading vs. Atrophy

04:52 – Think First, Prompt Second: The Golden Rule for Brain Health

06:55 – AI Agents as "Graduate Students": How to Train Your Tools

12:29 – The Fears and Misconceptions around AI

17:34 or 18:46 – Integrating AI at the Workplace: Useful Strategies for Companies and Leaders

20:47 – The Adoption Inequality Gap: Winners and Losers of AI

26:57 – The Fine Line between Outsourcing Tasks for Productivity and Killing Expertise

33:50 – Beware of "AI Slop": Spotting Hallucinations and Fake Citations

36:36 – How AI Really Works: Next-Character Prediction vs. Human Logic

41:26 – Using AI as a Co-Thinker: The Active Way of Using AI at Work

46:17 – Building Your Brain Muscle Back

47:54 – The 3x Productivity Trap: Why AI Makes Us More Stressed

49:13 – Leading with Empathy: Mental Health in the AI Era

53:48 – Bridging the Generation Gap: How AI Impacts us Across Generations

56:03 – Outro: How to Stay Human in an Automated World