\n<\/p>\n
On April 9,<\/span> Wharton Human-AI Research<\/a><\/span> (WHAIR)<\/a><\/span> launched <\/span>their spring 2026 <\/span>AI Horizons<\/a><\/span> webinar series dedicated to exploring the human side of artificial intelligence. In the <\/span>first<\/span> installment<\/span>, <\/span>WHAIR f<\/span>aculty <\/span>c<\/span>o-<\/span>d<\/span>irector Robert<\/span> (Bob)<\/span> Meyer sat down with Shiri Melumad, a Wharton marketing professor and leading researcher on how smart technology shapes human psychology and behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n The concern isn\u2019t the technology itself<\/span>, i<\/span>t\u2019s how we use it. Professor Melumad\u2019s research shows that when people rely on AI to deliver ready-made answers, they engage less deeply with information and walk away with a more superficial understanding of the topic. In one study, participants who learned about a subject using ChatGPT produced advice that independent evaluators found less compelling and persuasive than those who used traditional Google search<\/span> \u2013 <\/span>even when the underlying facts were identical. The takeaway for business leaders: how your teams use AI matters just as much as whether they use it at all.<\/span><\/p>\n When we search the web traditionally, we choose sources, read across them, interpret them, and synthesize them ourselves. That friction is actually where learning happens. As Melumad put it,<\/span> \u201cLLM<\/span> summaries are removing these frictions in learning<\/span>. I<\/span>t\u2019s a much more efficient way to acquire information, but it\u2019s coming at the cost of deeper learning.\u201d For organizations building teams around complex problem-solving, this is a risk worth taking seriously.<\/span><\/p>\n Melumad expressed particular concern about younger users<\/span> \u2013<\/span> students and early-career professionals who may never develop the habit of deep research or critical synthesis before AI becomes their default.<\/span> \u201cIf<\/span> LLMs are going to be used in classrooms for young children, my hope is that they will have developed a foundational understanding of how to learn and critical thinking before they\u2019re given access to these tools.\u201d For business leaders, this raises a real question: are you hiring people who know how to think, or people who know how to prompt?<\/span><\/p>\nAI isn\u2019t dumbing us down<\/b><\/span>,<\/b><\/span> but passive use of it might.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
LLMs are turning learning from an active process into a passive one<\/b><\/span>, <\/b><\/span>and that\u2019s a problem.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
The risk compounds for people who haven\u2019t built foundational skills yet.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
The solution is intentional, strategic friction.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n