Overreliance on AI Erodes Worker Confidence

Mehdi Paryavi, CEO of the International Data Center Authority, warns that excessive AI use in the workplace creates an illusion of productivity while silently eroding worker confidence and critical thinking skills. He describes this phenomenon as quiet cognitive erosion and down-skilling, noting that while AI makes workers appear faster, it often lacks the depth of human expertise.

Paryavi argues that confidence is the first casualty, as workers begin to believe AI thinks better than they do. Supporting research from the Work AI Institute indicates that AI creates an illusion of expertise, particularly risky for early-career employees. To avoid dependency, Paryavi recommends tailoring AI access by job function and ensuring humans lead creative processes and quality-check AI output. Without deliberate limits, AI threatens the foundational skills careers depend on.

Artificial intelligence promises speed, but speed does not equal productivity. According to Mehdi Paryavi, CEO of the International Data Center Authority, AI makes workers appear faster on paper while hollowing out the skills their careers depend on. He warns that excessive and poorly designed AI use drives what he calls a quiet cognitive erosion and down-skilling of the workforce.

The International Data Center Authority advises companies and governments on building the data centers that power AI. Paryavi argues that while AI generates professional-sounding output, it often lacks the depth that comes from years of hands-on expertise. This loss of depth is already visible in the workplace.

He contrasts the old notion of thinking outside the box with the current trend of drawing all creativity from a single source. "There used to be a notion called 'thinking outside the box,'" Paryavi said. "That notion will soon cease to exist when everyone draws on all their creativity, analytics, and innovation from a single box called AI."

The immediate casualty of heavy AI reliance is self-belief. Paryavi believes that when workers come to believe AI writes and thinks better than they do, they lose their own confidence. This loss compounds quickly as employees defer writing, analysis, and judgment to AI systems, gradually relying less on the skills built through years of learning and observation.

"All of a sudden, you realize you are not good enough without this new tool, and day by day, you rely less on yourself and more on AI," Paryavi said.

Research supports this pattern. A report from the Work AI Institute, produced with researchers from universities including Notre Dame, Harvard, and UC Santa Barbara, found that AI turns ordinary office workers into people who feel smarter and more productive while their underlying skills slowly erode. Rebecca Hinds, head of the Work AI Institute, notes that AI creates an illusion of expertise, which is especially risky for early-career employees who still need to establish their foundations.

Anastasia Berg, a philosophy professor at the University of California, Irvine, adds that workers who rely heavily on AI risk rapid skill atrophy, particularly junior employees who never fully learn to think through problems independently.

Paryavi is not opposed to AI, but he emphasizes that the risk comes from indiscriminate use. Companies should tailor AI access by job function rather than rolling it out universally. Some roles may benefit heavily from AI support, while others should rely primarily on human judgment.

He highlights the importance of human involvement at both ends of the workflow. Humans must lead creative thinking at the beginning and quality-check AI output at the end. "What's critical to note is that you, the human you, must quality check AI, not the other way around," Paryavi said.

Leaders must also redefine how they measure productivity. If the focus remains solely on speed, the organization risks losing the depth of expertise required for long-term success. Paryavi asks, "How much technology do we really need, and how far are we willing to push the envelope? How much is enough?"

Without deliberate limits, AI may not eliminate jobs outright, but it could quietly erode the confidence and thinking skills that careers are built on. Organizations must balance the efficiency of AI with the preservation of human expertise. By restricting AI use to specific roles and maintaining human oversight, companies can prevent the quiet cognitive erosion threatening the workforce.