The use of artificial intelligence in the UAE has reached a record 80% among workers and students. A new report shows a growing trend of ‘outsourced thinking’ that is changing how people process information.
While these tools make work faster, new data shows that over 94% of UAE college students believe their critical thinking skills are getting weaker. This shift from using AI as a helper to using it as a replacement is a major change for the nation's digital future.
People in the UAE are now using AI chatbots for more than just simple tasks. Many residents use these tools to avoid putting in efforts of thinking through complex problems. This is very common in schools and offices where people feel rushed to finish their assignments. Instead of doing the research themselves, they let the software do the heavy lifting. This is called ‘cognitive offloading.’
Recent studies from the Higher Colleges of Technology show a clear pattern. Close to 78% of students use AI for their homework. However, very few of them check the answers or change the words to make them their own. Experts call this ‘copy-paste’ culture. While it looks like people are getting more work done, they are actually hurting their ability to be creative. If people stop pushing their brains to work through difficult tasks, they might lose the ability to solve problems on their own.
Many UAE residents pay between AED 79 and AED 85 every month for premium versions to get better results. This creates a gap between people who can afford ‘smart’ tools and those who cannot. This financial gap could change who gets the best jobs in the future.
There is also a hidden time cost for workers. Many professionals in the UAE now spend their free time learning AI just to keep their jobs. This is like having an unpaid second job. Small businesses also face a tough choice. Building a custom AI can cost between AED 250,000 and AED 900,000. If a local shop cannot afford this, it might lose customers to bigger companies. While customers might get faster answers from a bot, they lose the personal touch and ‘gut instinct’ that human workers provide.
The UAE government is taking steps to fix these issues. Starting this school year, AI is now a regular subject for students of all ages. This plan aims to teach children how to use technology without becoming lazy thinkers. The goal is to move from just using AI to truly mastering it. For the industry to stay strong, people must learn to let AI handle boring tasks while keeping their own minds sharp and original.