About this episode
Cal Newport discusses the negative impact of relying on A.I. for deep thinking and offers strategies to maintain cognitive sharpness.
Many of us offload heavy thinking to A.I., and our brains are going soft in the process. Cal Newport, professor of computer science at Georgetown University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how employing computers to do our deepest thinking dulls our ability to concentrate and the things we can do right now to keep us sharp and alert. His recent essay published in The New York Times is “ There’s a Good Reason You Can’t Concentrate .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
People in this episode
Host: Krys Boyd
Guest: Cal Newport
Topics covered
- A.I.
- concentration
- cognitive skills
- technology impact
- mental health
Keywords
- A.I.
- concentration
- Cal Newport
- cognitive skills
- technology
- mental health
- Georgetown University
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Georgetown University, The New York Times
More episodes of Think from KERA
- The secular saints of Civil Rights · June 12, 2026 · 47 min
- Soccer is expensive, but it doesn’t make money · June 11, 2026 · 46 min
- Pope Leo finds his voice · June 10, 2026 · 46 min
- The pathogens thriving because of climate change · June 9, 2026 · 47 min
- The drug that's deadlier than opioids · June 8, 2026 · 47 min
- The heart and heartbreak of the American South · June 5, 2026 · 46 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Think from KERA podcast page.