Topic: “AI and Cognitive Surrender”
Thursday, June 18th, 2026 at 10:00 am to 11:30 am Pacific time.
Please join us at the June 2026 Virtual Water Cooler to talk about Artificial Intelligence and the concept of cognitive surrender! It promises to be a good conversation.
We hear a lot about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) today – how it will replace humans at work, how it will take over what we know and how we learn, and how it has become
pervasive in so many areas of life.
Many world leaders, including Pope Leo XIV, have weighed in on the discussion with varying points of view. Gideon Nave and Steve Shaw are researchers at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania who suggest that “… the real danger of AI may not be that it outsmarts humans, but that humans increasingly stop thinking for themselves.”
Their research “… shows people readily ‘cognitively surrender,’ often adopting AI answers, even incorrect ones, with high confidence.” Nave and Shaw were interviewed in a February 24, 2026 Ripple Effect Podcast titled Is AI Replacing Human Thinking. Their original research study is found in a Wharton School Research Paper entitled “Thinking — Fast, Slow, and Artificial: How AI is Reshaping Human Reasoning and the Rise of Cognitive Surrender (January 11, 2026).
This month at the Virtual Water Cooler, let’s talk about AI and this concept of ‘cognitive surrender’.
What do you think about it?
- Have you seen it in action?
- When and where do we see it happening? Examples?
- What are the real dangers of ‘cognitive surrender?
- Are there circumstances under which ‘cognitive surrender’ is acceptable?
- What are the implications for us and our work?
Please join us on Thursday, June 18th, 2026 at 10:00am (Pacific Daylight Time) for another conversation about people and organizations.
Bring your ideas and questions, and prepare to share your thoughts and experiences in another stimulating discussion with friends and colleagues.
We are looking forward to seeing you there.
