About this episode

Gideon Nave and Steven Shaw discuss the implications of AI on human cognition and the ethical considerations in marketing.

Join Gideon Nave, Associate Professor of Marketing at Wharton, and Steven Shaw, postdoctoral researcher, as they unpack their influential work on 'system three' cognition—the idea of AI as an artificial thinking system. They explain the distinction between cognitive offloading and the deeper dangers of cognitive surrender when humans rely too fully on AI, and reveal both the improvements and risks this shift poses for our reasoning and critical thinking. Drawing from empirical research, the episode explores strategies for intentional AI use, the psychological and ethical implications for society, and why calibrated trust and thoughtful guardrails are now essential in automated decision-making.

People in this episode

Host: Ross Dawson

Guests: Gideon Nave, Steven Shaw

Topics covered

• system three cognition
• AI ethics
• cognitive surrender
• strategic delegation
• intentional AI use

Keywords

• AI
• cognitive offloading
• critical thinking
• automated decision-making
• psychological implications

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wharton

More episodes of Humans + AI

• Ramez Naam on cognitive prostheses, the infinite resource, AI and human rights, and mass empowerment of humanity (HAI Ep50) · July 15, 2026 · 58 min
• Daniel Fallmann on democratizing expertise, dynamic interfaces, judgment amplification, and organizational intelligence (AC Ep48) · June 23, 2026 · 27 min
• Natalie Buda Smith on AI in libraries, human at the center, deeper storytelling, and language recreation (AC Ep47) · June 17, 2026 · 34 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Humans + AI podcast page.