So what is stopping you from thinking and using the machines as tools? To me it looks like AI is solving the “low level/grunt work” problems and leaves us the important stuff such as steering it, making products using the discoveries, find new problems to solve/discover and so on…
I use coding as an example, I am glad I can ask AI agents to do all the boilerplate coding so that I can focus on building actual products rather than spending a month to get an API just right. It’s not like I am no longer thinking about the code or the end result. I do but only where it actually matters. Just punishing myself to not use AI would be like writing code with pen and paper. Some people enjoy it but that’s just a personal exercise not an industrial tool. I definitely enjoyed coding without IntelliSense and I think it made me a better programmer but definitely it’s not something I would recommend people to do on their day to day job.