THINK. Developing Cognitive Abilities and Designing Future Technology.
In this article, I will share my brief perspective on the long-term effects of dependency on Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) on underserved creators and entrepreneurs, and its risk of diminishing critical thinking, problem-solving, and human collaboration skills. In conclusion, I will offer a call to action for individuals from these communities to explore opportunities to engage with Wrkz Inc., where they will not only develop future-proof skills but also jump in the driver’s seat of designing future technology.
The Problem
Gen AI has become a cheat code and shortcut for both young creatives and entrepreneurs from under-resourced communities. Especially those who lack fundamental critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are vital to developing holistic deliverables that are useful to scale and replicate their ideas into long-term sustainable solutions.
While Gen AI, in its novelty, is an amazing tool to help expand thinking and shape ideas, if not careful, it creates a dependency for users to rely on its capabilities rather than their own cognitive abilities, which widens the Cognitive and Economic divide.
Persona Observations
I get it–the knowledge gap in starting a new business is wide, and early-stage entrepreneurs are abandoned at sea without a compass to identify their position, and lack the capacity to acquire sails that define and guide priorities on what to work on next. The access to information and speed of AI creates an artificial, simple Mate who delivers interesting and overall helpful direction, yet cannot empathetically and contextually analyze and execute on their business goals.
I also see young inner-city creators struggling in survival mode to identify a career path and access to education that develops their innate skills. In a state of hustle, they seek to leverage AI systems as quick wins to learn and explore their ideas, but are ultimately led to a dead end without structured frameworks and methodologies guiding their thinking; moreover, the generative outputs from AI tools.
Researchers and Experts Share
In a study on the effects of over-reliance on AI systems for students, researchers note, “it may compromise the development of students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They argue that if students lean too heavily on AI for content generation, they risk not developing the ability to analyze information, construct logical arguments, or integrate knowledge from diverse sources for academic and professional success.”
In a recent article,
provides a glimpse into what she calls “The Independence Era.” A world where the traditional career model is obsolete, and early-stage career seekers cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, where one has developed a general set of translatable skills and abilities to contribute to any given project by creating their own apprenticeships based on their career interests. Her hunch is timely and leads me to introduce an idea to help shape the future of work for young skill seekers, especially those from disadvantaged communities.Opportunities
Wrkz Inc. is a digital technology agency intervening and preventing the effects of long-term dependence of Gen AI on young people, especially those from underserved communities. UX Design education offers fundamental soft skills development, like critical thinking, collaboration, facilitation, and problem-solving, that directly counteract the risk of over-reliance on AI systems.
Hypothesis
We believe that if Wrkz Inc. delivers a project-based immersive UX design program to early-career creators, then individuals will gain confidence and improved cognitive abilities that future-proof their careers in the evolving digital economy.
We believe that if Wrkz provides affordable UX design services to local start-ups, then vendors will gain clearer insights into their internal workflows, Business Model, and customer experience, which will improve their ability to deliver long-term, sustainable, accessible, usable, and delightful products and services in the evolving digital economy.
What if we created a 5-week Introduction to UX Design program that provided hands-on project-based learning experiences for creators to learn fundamental design principles, while supporting local start-ups with low-cost UX design services to help them develop human-centered design competency?
Next Steps
We are transitioning into a future where cognitive abilities will play an even greater role in shaping our economic status. Let’s lean into cognition, not as a replacement for AI, but as its driver. Don’t let AI think for you. Instead, learn to design, strategize, and create with intention as we redefine the future of our careers and the way we work.
Join the Wrkz community and future-proof your career and business!
Visit Wrkz.org to learn more.