Thereโs been a run of articles lately warning that AI is dulling our critical thinking skills (I’ve included a few linked below). Formal studies are starting to back that up. And Iโm seeing it inside sales organisations too.
Leaders are drawn to tools that โgive the answer.โ
- Tell me the risk.
- Give me the forecast number.
- Tell me what my next step should be.
- In short – do the thinking for me.
Itโs understandable. AI is fast, often accurate enough, and instantly useful. But hereโs the part weโre not talking about:
๐๐ณ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ.
Because in enterprise sales, the teams that think better donโt just execute better โ they outperform competitors who canโt or wonโt think deeply about their deals.
The top sellers Iโve worked with always had one defining skill:
- They could take a messy situation full of politics, gaps, signals and half-facts, and turn it into a clear plan of attack.
- They could see risks earlier.
- They could spot patterns no one else noticed.
- They could construct a winning path where others only saw obstacles.
Thatโs ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐. And itโs not a quaint craft โ itโs a competitive differentiator.
Itโs also the fastest way to lift the performance of your mid-tier reps. Tools can accelerate work, but they canโt replace the judgment that drives a deal forward.
And if your competitors build teams who can think and adapt while yours wait for the software to decideโฆ well, that’s a competitive edge you will pay for.
So yes, give your people great tools. Automate the grunt work. Use AI for leverage. But donโt let your teamโs ability to think become collateral damage.
Because the next era of selling isnโt โAI vs humans.โ Itโs AI-accelerated teams vs teams who canโt think without the AI.
And only one of those is going to win consistently.
Critical thinking is a competitive weapon.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ถ๐. ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐. ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐.
Links:
- https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/11/is-ai-dulling-our-minds
- https://redmondmag.com/articles/2025/02/18/genai-is-eroding-critical-thinking.aspx
- https://www.ie.edu/center-for-health-and-well-being/blog/ais-cognitive-implications-the-decline-of-our-thinking-skills
