Hey {{first_name | there}},

Quick test. Don't skip it. Just answer honestly and vote.

Now count your Bs and Cs.

Mostly As: Level 0

Mostly Bs: Level 1

Mostly Cs: Level 2

Here's what your level actually means…

What scientists call "brain rot" (and yes, that's a real academic term)

There's a paper published in 2026 called "Brainrot: Deskilling and Addiction are Overlooked AI Risks". The researchers found two scary things:

1. Deskilling: When you use AI to do the thinking for you, your brain literally gets worse at thinking. It's like never walking and then wondering why your legs feel weak.

2. Addiction: People develop unhealthy attachment to AI tools. Not just using them for work, but depending on them for emotional support, decision making, and even relationships.

Let me break down what each level means for your brain...

Congratulations. You still think for yourself. You use AI as a tool, not a crutch. Your brain gets regular exercise. You can write without AI. You can solve problems without asking a chatbot first.

But here's the thing. Even Level 0 people are at risk. Because AI is getting integrated into everything. Your phone, your email, your search engine. You might be offloading thinking without realizing it.

This is where most people are in 2026. 

A study from the University of Pennsylvania found that when AI gives wrong answers, people follow them about 80% of the time. They call this "cognitive surrender" which is a fancy way of saying you stopped trusting your own brain.

Your brain is like a muscle. If you don't use it, it weakens. And at Level 1, you're already showing signs of what researchers call "cognitive offloading" which means your brain is outsourcing work it should be doing itself.

This is the danger zone. And here's why.

A neuroscientist told the US Senate that Gen Z is the first generation in modern history to score lower on standardized tests than the previous one. Despite having access to more technology than any generation before.

MIT researchers found that heavier ChatGPT use correlates with greater loneliness and less real-world socialisation. The more you talk to AI, the less you connect with humans.

There's a term for what's happening to Level 2 people. Scientists call it "AI-chatbots-induced cognitive atrophy" or AICICA. It means your brain is literally shrinking in its ability to think because you've stopped making it think.

Here's what makes this so dangerous. It happens gradually. You don't wake up one day and suddenly can't think. It's more like... you slowly stop noticing that you're thinking less.

First you use AI for emails. Then for meetings. Then for problems. Then for conversations. Then for decisions. Then for feelings.

One day you realize you can't write a simple paragraph without opening ChatGPT first. That's not convenience. That's cognitive debt.

1. Pick one task per day and do it without AI. Just one. Write that email yourself. Solve that problem yourself. Think about that decision yourself.

2. Set "AI free" time blocks. Maybe it's the first hour of your day. Maybe it's during lunch. Protect your brain from the temptation to outsource.

3. Ask yourself before every AI prompt: "Could I figure this out on my own if I tried?" If the answer is yes, try it first.

4. Use AI to learn, not to replace learning. There's a difference between "help me understand this" and "just give me the answer."

5. Track your usage. You might be shocked at how many times you reach for AI in a day.

Look, I'm not anti AI. I use it every day. I'm writing this newsletter with the help of AI research tools. But there's a difference between using AI as a tool and using it as a replacement for your brain.

The question is not whether to use AI. The question is whether AI is using you.

So tell me, what level did you score? And more importantly, what are you going to do about it?

Reply to this email. I read every response.

- AP

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