David Brooks in this important article warns that if we are not mindful, our GEN AI age could put our societies at extreme risk of cognitive polarization, and a further widening of income inequality.
Gen AI can make problem-solving at home, work, and school considerably easier. But GEN AI can also make it easier to avoid the day-to-day mental effort and struggle that strengthen cognitive abilities. We can unwittingly erode the very critical thinking and problem-solving skills we need to navigate an increasingly sophisticated and complex world.
And research shows that this can happen very rapidly indeed.
Basic neuroplasticity really.
So what can organisations, educators, and parents do?
- Be mindful that cognitive decline in a GEN AI age is a significant risk to be managed. And spread the word.
- Learn to use GEN AI intentionally, in ways that strengthen rather than weaken cognitive abilities. David Brooks makes evidence-based suggestions – see HERE.
- Focus on how to encourage the young and old alike to feel motivated to work hard and struggle – even when tools that avoid mental effort are readily available.
David Brooks makes some valuable suggestions:
‘People feel motivated when they are put in situations that give them autonomy (I’m in control of my choices), competence (I’m developing my skills), and relatedness (people here care about me). In my experience, motivation increases with admiration, such as when students are confronted with great people or great works of art. Motivation also increases with apprenticeships, such as when a mentor not only teaches a person how to engineer, but also how to be the kind of person who loves engineering”
What about children in underserved communities?
Suggestions like those made by David Brooks can at times feel as if they are for the well-resourced with the privilege of social networks and money to buy in the environment and options that help develop motivation. What about poor children with weak social networks living in challenging environments?
We have some thinking to do. And we must start by going back to basics and learn from the extensive (and quite clear) research findings which unpack the reasons why some children in under resourced communities are motivated to strive, struggle, and succeed against the odds.
Back in 2016, a Caribbean Journal of Education article authored by yours truly included an article on this very issue, part of which is reproduced below:
“It is clear from extensive research carried out in the 1990s that how children feel matters. The poor children who succeed in school and in life tend to have certain crucial emotional needs met. [i][1] Both parents and teachers are uniquely positioned to meet these emotional needs. They are able to foster feelings in children which operate as unconscious behavioural guides. This is what helps them to succeed.
These beliefs and feelings are usefully unpacked and explained through the framework of the “Crucial Four Cs” developed by the internationally renowned psychologists Betty Lou Bettner PhD and Amy Lew Ph.D .
1 Connection
Parents support their children’s education when they help them to feel connected to their family and school community.
The research shows that achieving children tend to have a strong feeling of belonging to their family and school. This gives children the security, the inner confidence they need to reach out to others and cooperate. As a result, they are more teachable, more responsive both in the classroom and at home.
Children who do not feel that they belong can feel insecure, isolated, and scared. Adlerian psychologists have found that we are all “hardwired” to crave feelings of belonging. When children don’t develop these feelings through positive means, they end up seeking these feelings in negative ways. This makes them more susceptible to attention-seeking behaviour and to negative peer pressure. They may join gangs just to feel that they belong. They tend to be less settled and more difficult to deal with both in the classroom and at home.
2 Capable
Parents support their children’s education when they help them to feel capable.
Research shows that achieving children tend to have an inner certainty that they can and will be competent in performing particular tasks. These feelings make children quick to assume responsibility and become self-reliant. They are more likely to develop self-control and self -discipline – behavioural traits well known to be critical to academic success.
Children who do not believe in their own capability can feel inadequate and resentful. We all crave feelings of capability. When children don’t develop these feelings in positive ways, they end up seeking them in negative ways. To “prove” their capability, they may seek to boss others, become bullies, or show that others can’t tell them what to do. Or they may decide that since they are not capable, they shouldn’t even bother to try. Naturally, these behavioural traits can make these children difficult in the classroom and at home.
3 Count
Parents support their children’s education when they help them to feel that they count.
Research shows that achieving children tend to feel significant. They believe their existence matters. They feel that they have a contribution to make and that their contribution is valued by others. This raises their self esteem. They tend to be especially engaged in school activities and are keen to serve others in the home and the community. They tend to be cooperative, assume responsibility and follow school rules. Since they are typically eager to learn and contribute, they can be a pleasure to teach.
Children who do not feel that they count feel insignificant and so they feel hurt. This makes them want to hurt back, seek revenge. We all want. When children do not develop these feelings through positive means, they often try to make their mark in negative ways. (In other words, making a negative impact is better than making no impact at all). They may adopt attention seeking, disruptive and destructive behaviour which makes them difficult in the classroom and difficult at home. Since they do not feel valued, they may not value themselves, their future, and their education. In extreme cases, teenage boys may try to get girls pregnant in order to feel they have done something important and teenage girls may become sexually active as a way of getting someone to care about them.
4 Courage
Parents support their children’s education when they help them to develop courage, i.e., when they “en-courage” them.
The renown Adlerian psychiatrist Rudolf Dreikurs believed that if we could give children only one quality to get them through life, courage would be the most necessary.
We all need courage to get past the hurt, anger, disappointment, and frustration which life throws our way. However, children in poor communities often need a good deal more courage than the rest of us just to survive the negativity, aggression and despair that can surround them. Parents of achieving children manage to empower them to face challenges, overcome fear, develop resilience and stand alone if necessary. Children who succeed are typically unfazed by failure and mistakes, and feel confident and hopeful in spite of their environment. They believe they can handle whatever life throws their way. They believe they can learn and that they can succeed.
Children without courage feel inferior, defeated and hopeless. They are susceptible to negative peer pressure since they are too afraid to go against the crowd. They may not speak up in class or ask questions since they are too afraid of being wrong. When academic work gets difficult, they may not continue to try. These children can be difficult and frustrating to teach. They can disengage in the classroom and cangive up on education altogether.
The fundamentals of understanding and motivating children are where we start but not where we end. Applying these fundamentals in a fast-changing AI age growing more complex and volatile by the day is no easy task. But humanity has proven through the ages to be superb problem solvers. And the country, society, community, or organisation that determines to solve this problem will no doubt reap considerable rewards.
End. PCS July 2026