AI IS MAKING PEOPLE DUMBER? The Internet Is Being Overrun By Synthetic Thought

23 MAY 2026.

As artificial intelligence floods the internet with machine generated articles, videos, comments and even fake personalities, many observers are warning that society may be entering a dangerous era of cognitive laziness. A growing body of research and commentary argues that AI is not just changing how people consume information, but how they think itself. Some educators and researchers say students increasingly use AI to “outsource their thinking,” weakening memory, reasoning and independent analysis.

The concern is bigger than plagiarism or misinformation. Analysts argue that when algorithms instantly summarize, explain and even generate opinions, people gradually lose the habit of wrestling with complexity. One study cited by researchers found AI users showed lower brain engagement and weaker retention over time.

Meanwhile the internet itself is becoming saturated with synthetic material. A recent academic study estimated that by mid 2025, roughly 35 percent of newly published websites were AI generated or AI assisted. Many fear this creates a feedback loop where shallow AI content trains future AI systems, producing what some online observers call an “algorithmic ouroboros” of declining originality and critical thought.

AI Content Is Swamping The Internet: How It Impacts Critical Thinking

Under near constant exposure to AI output, experts say the dangers are real and the evidence is already showing up.

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Bobby Bare’s “New Cut Road” carries the lonely ache of old country storytelling at its finest. The song drifts through memory, regret and rural Americana with an almost cinematic sadness, where every mile of backroad feels haunted by choices that cannot be undone. Bare never oversings or forces emotion. Instead, he lets the weight of the lyric settle naturally, which makes it hit even harder. It is country music before calculation and branding took over, when authenticity mattered more than polish.

BOBBY BARE – New Cut Road

Robert Joseph Bare Sr. (born April 7, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for the songs “Marie Laveau”, “Detroit City” and “500 Miles Away from Home”. He is the father of Bobby Bare Jr., also a musician. Lyrics Coalman Bonner was a fiddle playin’ fool.