This exclusive interview with Amy Brann was conducted by Tabish Ali of the Motivational Speakers Agency.
AI can produce an answer in seconds. The harder question is what happens when humans stop doing enough of the thinking themselves.
Neuroscience expert Amy Brann has spent more than two decades studying how people think, learn and perform at work. She is the founder of Synaptic Potential and the author of three books on neuroscience and performance, with her work spanning leadership, behaviour change and sustainable high performance.
As AI becomes embedded in everyday working life, Brann is increasingly concerned with the human consequences of over-reliance. She argues that repeatedly outsourcing judgement, problem-solving and creativity could weaken the cognitive abilities people still need to use the technology well.
In this interview with the Mental Health Speakers Agency, Brann explains how neuroscience could help close the growing cognitive gap between humans and AI, why friction and effort still matter for learning, and what leaders can do to help people use AI without eroding their own capabilities.
Question 1. As AI advances faster than human cognition can evolve, where can neuroscience help people work more effectively with the technology?
Amy Brann: “AI is evolving at an extraordinary speed, and in contrast, the human brain hasn’t really changed. So, the gap we’re seeing could be framed as a cognitive gap rather than a technological one.
“Neuroscience can help us close that gap by showing us what is so special about the human brain and what we can do to optimise human strengths so that we can work with AI rather than trying to compete against it, because we’re always going to be different.
“AI excels at speed, scale and pattern recognition, while humans have been said to excel more at creativity, empathy, ethical judgement and complex decision-making. I think the opportunity lies in combining these strengths effectively.
“A challenge we’re seeing is that many organisations are trying to adopt AI without addressing the human side: the mind frames, the confidence and the ways of working. People are feeling uncertain, resistant and overwhelmed, and that’s predictable.
“Neuroscience can give us a road map to reduce the threat responses linked to new technology, build curiosity and create the conditions for learning and adaptation.
“We need leaders to design environments where people can think clearly, protect human bandwidth and protect what makes us uniquely human and able to function the way we do.
“We need to reduce overwhelm and enable better collaboration between humans and machines. I don’t think the goal of closing the gap is about making humans more like AI. It’s about helping humans operate at their best so they can intentionally, with agency, use AI as an amplifier of their thinking and the will they want to evoke in the world.”
Question 2. What happens to human judgement and cognitive ability when people become too reliant on AI?
Amy Brann: “AI is an extraordinary tool, but like any tool, its value depends on how we use it. One of the biggest risks is over-reliance. It leads to cognitive atrophy.
“If we are outsourcing too much of our thinking, decision-making, problem-solving and even creativity, we will weaken the neural pathways that make us effective.
“That was predicted by studies 70 years ago, and we’re starting to see it confirmed in a different way by new studies coming out today. The brain strengthens what we use it for. If we stop engaging in deep thinking, we reduce our ability to do it well.
“There’s also a risk to judgement. AI can provide answers, but it doesn’t carry accountability, ethics or contextual understanding in the same way humans do. It won’t cost it in the way it will cost you and I if we make a mistake or make a poor choice.
“Over-reliance can also lead to overconfidence in what it’s giving us, which, without sufficient critical evaluation, is dangerous.
“Another risk is reduced learning. When we struggle and have to put discretionary effort into something, that is part of how our brain works, learns and encodes knowledge. If AI removes that process, and there’s no friction, challenge or striving, we will get faster answers, but we will get weaker understanding.
“Finally, I think there’s a risk of widening the gap between people who are using AI intelligently and those who don’t, which will create really uneven performance across organisations.
“My encouragement is not to limit AI, but to use it intentionally and wisely. In some of the keynotes I’ve been delivering, I’m helping to build this human-AI collaboration intelligence, knowing when to lean on AI and when to lean into the human so that they can enhance together rather than erode capability.”
Question 3. When you speak to organisations and leaders, what do you want them to understand about how the brain affects performance?
Amy Brann: “Above all, I want people to leave with a sense of potential and a clear way to act on it.
“Most people I get to work with are incredibly capable. They’re smart and they are operating in systems that make it harder than it needs to be. They recognise this.
“When they understand how their brain actually works, something shifts. They realise that it’s not about trying harder. It’s about working differently.
“I want audiences to walk away with three things.
“First, clarity. I want them to have a simple, science-backed understanding of what drives focus, performance and well-being, and to cut through the noise of conflicting advice.
“Second, I want them to own it. I want them to have the confidence to ask, “What will help make my brain work best right now?” Then to make intentional choices about their attention, their behaviour and their environment in the organisation they’re in.
“Third, I want them to walk away with practical tools they can apply immediately to reduce distractions, improve decision-making or create better team dynamics, whatever we’re dealing with.
“Ultimately, my goal is to spark a shift from reactive, overloaded ways of working to more intentional, brain-aligned performance.
“When people understand how their brain works, they don’t just perform better, they feel better. That’s where the real sustainable impact happens.”
