Disclaimer: AI assisted in the development of this blog article. But my process entails the following:

• I record a 15-20 min audio of my take (with an app I, myself, vibe-coded, and which you can use for free) via speechtotext.today

• I then bring that transcript over to ChatGPT and ask AI to structure my thoughts into a readable document.

• I then have it write an article about it.

• I finally proofread, and EDIT the article, and then build the blog article myself in HubSpot.

• I publish NOT with the goal of this sounding or not sounding like AI, I publish with the goal of my original script and thoughts getting accross. And that is how we should think about using AI to assist.

The day we stopped thinking at work

I'm both frustrated and disappointed at the times we're living.

People that I think highly of are using AI more and more. Not just to produce work, but to outsource their brain, attention, involvement, care...

In 2026, I've been through at least 15 instances of clients, teammates, collaborators, bosses sending AI-written tasks, messages, whole instructions, and documents my way. Without even having read them.

How do I know?

Because their instructions are not contextual.

I jump into several HubSpot portals every week.

Each has its own infrastructure and architecture set up in a way that requires careful attention to detail to grasp what is going on.

And also, even if each portal has a specific architecture built on it, the way that it is being utilized by the sales, marketing, or customer service teams might differ. This is an entire layer of context that also matters when assigning tasks.

Yet, when I get these AI-generated instructions, with a ridiculous deadline attached to them, and then, I jump into the portals only to find out that all of those AI-generated instructions could literally mean ANYTHING inside the client's portal... I get frustrated.

This is my take on the day we stopped thinking at work...

And let AI do it for us

There’s something happening in the workplace right now that no one is really talking about.

And it’s not automation.
It’s not job loss.
It’s not even AI replacing people.

It’s something quieter… and honestly, more dangerous.

It’s people replacing themselves.

I’m not speaking as a marketer; I’m speaking as a human.

I work in marketing, but collaborate with folks in sales, customer service, CRM, the whole business ecosystem, all year long.

I’m not speaking as:

• a consultant
• a freelancer
• an employee
• a business owner

Today, I’m speaking as a human being watching something go wrong in real time across the board.

And I’m seeing it everywhere.

The trend nobody wants to admit

People are making more mistakes than ever before.

Not because they’re incapable.

Not because they lack knowledge.

But because they’re no longer engaging with the work they’re doing.

Here’s what’s happening:

People are using AI to generate instructions…
and then assigning those instructions to other humans…
without even reading them.

Let that sink in.

The real problem isn’t AI

Let’s be clear, AI isn’t the enemy.

Using AI to assist your thinking? Great.
Using AI to move faster? Amazing.

But that’s not what’s happening.

What’s happening is this:

• People are not thinking
• People are not reading
• People are not writing

They’re prompting… copying… pasting… and sending.

And generating more confusion for themselves and others.

The 5% effort, 95% credit problem

We’re entering a new kind of workplace dynamic:

• 0% presence
• 5% involvement
• 95% ownership of the output

And that imbalance is creating chaos.

Because when no one actually understands the work:

• Instructions lack context
• Tasks get misinterpreted
• Errors multiply
• Accountability disappears
• Projects get delayed
• Deadlines become impossible to calculate
• Quality doesn’t actually grow; it stagnates or decreases
• And... what started as speed and efficiency gains, starts becoming a bottleneck.

And the worst part?

Everyone pretends everything is fine.

AI isn’t replacing you, you are

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

The problem isn’t that AI is replacing humans.

It’s that humans are choosing to step aside.

When you:

• Don’t read what AI generates
• Don’t validate instructions
• Don’t add your own thinking

You’re not using AI.

You’re outsourcing your brain.

The hidden cost: Cognitive atrophy

There’s a deeper consequence here that no KPI will show.

If you let AI think for you consistently:

Today is the smartest you will ever be.

Because from that point forward, you’re no longer practicing:

• critical thinking
• structured writing
• clear communication

You’re slowly losing the very skills that make you valuable.

Not overnight.
But steadily.

Quietly.

So what can we do about it?

This isn’t about rejecting AI.

It’s about reclaiming responsibility.

Here’s a simple reset:

1. Read everything you send

If you didn’t read it, don’t send it.
No exceptions.

2. Add your thinking before you hit send

AI output should be a draft, not a decision.

3. Reconnect with “Pre-AI you”

Think back to a time when you:

• wrote something from scratch
• solved a problem on your own
• used your brain fully
• Got 100% of the credit for something you put 100% of the effort into.

That version of you still exists.

Use it before it dies completely.

4. Use AI as a tool, not a replacement

AI should:

• accelerate your thinking
• not replace it

Final thought

AI is getting smarter every day.

But that doesn’t automatically mean we are.

And if we’re not careful, we’ll end up in a world where:

• work gets done faster (in theory, not in practice)
• But understanding disappears

That’s not progress.

That’s erosion.

If you’re using AI today, good.

But ask yourself one question before you hit send:

“Did I actually think about this?”

If the answer is no…that’s where the real problem starts..