I've spent the past year or so writing about cognitive offloading, especially in children. I’ve argued that outsourcing to AI weakens critical thinking skills. I’ve read the recent research. I’m seeing the patterns play out in schools and universities. But I may have missed something—not about the facts, but the framing. The real issue may not be that people are broadly becoming lazier or stupider (though this may still be the case). Instead, I argue that a distinct difference needs to be made c...