The greatest impact of this century will not be technology, but how we choose to treat each other.
By Johanna Beresford, CEO
This idea framed a recent KPMG event where I presented alongside Louise Scott-Worrall, Richard Stagg , Dr Philippa Hardman and Chris Booth to a room of senior HR and L&D leaders. The conversation centred on the future of work, behaviour and learning in an AI-enabled world. While the interest and energy in the room were unmistakable, a deeper concern sat beneath it.
The concern was not about what AI might do. It was about what humans might stop doing.
As AI takes on more tasks, there is a real risk that people begin to hand over the cognitive and behavioural habits that underpin problem solving, critical thinking and the ability to navigate complexity. If we stop exercising these abilities, they weaken. And when they weaken, the impact is not only intellectual but cultural. It affects how we communicate, collaborate and treat each other.
1. Technology does not change culture, people do
Technology is neutral, it does not create a more thoughtful or more unthinking organisation. People do that through their behaviour and their cognitive effort. Skills such as analysis, evaluation, deep reading, critique and interpretation are not innate. They are strengthened through practice and diminish through lack of use.
A 2025 study of more than six hundred participants found a strong negative correlation between heavy AI usage and critical thinking ability (Gerlich, 2025). Most striking was the decline in problem solving and tolerance for ambiguity among younger participants, driven by cognitive offloading. When people repeatedly allow AI to do the thinking, their brains reduce the frequency and depth of their own cognitive work.
This decline affects far more than individual performance. It influences how people listen, question, challenge and collaborate. The cultural impact of AI therefore depends less on the technology and more on the extent to which humans continue exercising the abilities that make culture healthy.
2. Embedding AI is a behaviour change challenge as much as a technology one
Organisations often focus on acquiring AI tools rather than preparing people to use them in ways that enhance human capability. The behavioural aspect is frequently overlooked. Trust, mindset, personal confidence and habit formation determine whether AI empowers or diminishes thinking.
If AI is used primarily to increase speed and efficiency, people may inadvertently think less. Cognitive effort reduces, and over time so does capability. AI should remove repetitive tasks, but the saved time must be reinvested in analysis, reflection, learning and relationship-building. Without this, AI becomes a replacement for thinking rather than a partner in it.
The question leaders should prioritise is not the number of AI solutions in place, but how they are ensuring that people maintain and strengthen their cognitive skills.
3. Leaders must model curiosity rather than control
Leadership behaviour sets the tone for how AI is used and understood. When leaders treat AI as a source of unquestionable answers, people follow suit. When leaders demonstrate curiosity, challenge and reflective questioning, teams remain cognitively active.
Across industries, organisations have invested significant sums in AI, developing dozens of tools including their own large language models, yet for many these are not reaping the benefits of this investment. Often this is not due to technological shortcomings but because the behavioural conditions required for thoughtful use are missing.
Curiosity protects against passive reliance, it encourages evaluation, alternative perspectives and collective intelligence. Leaders who ask what is missing, what assumptions are embedded and what perspectives are not represented create environments where thinking is stretched rather than constrained.
4. Culture determines whether AI is trusted or resisted
Culture shapes the way AI is interpreted and adopted. In cultures driven by speed, AI accelerates shallow thinking. In cultures that value challenge, reflection and learning, it elevates depth and insight.
Resistance emerges when people feel that human judgement is being replaced or diminished. Equally, blind acceptance occurs when cultures do not model critical questioning. Transformation efforts often falter not because of the tools but because questioning and critique are not culturally supported.
A strong culture positions AI as a cognitive partner that enhances human capability rather than replaces it. When people understand that their judgement, interpretation and critique remain central, they stay engaged and actively thinking.
5. The real transformation is human
The greatest long-term risk of AI is not job loss but cognitive loss. It is the gradual reduction of the human abilities that matter most: creativity, curiosity, reasoning, interpretation and connection.
AI will continue to reshape work, but humans will determine whether thinking intensifies or weakens in response. If people hand over cognitive effort entirely, thinking will decline. If AI is used to amplify insight, new levels of intelligence and collaboration become possible.
A useful self-check is to ask when AI last made you uncomfortable in a productive way. When did it push you to question your assumptions, rethink an idea or deepen your understanding.
Because in the end, the greatest impact of this century will not be technology but how we choose to treat each other.
If you’re ready to explore what an adaptive, human-centred learning culture looks like or to assess your organisation’s readiness for AI-enabled transformation, FabricShift can help you navigate that journey with clarity, confidence and impact.
