Cognitive Debt in the Age of GenAI

Hello TBL Community,

Sharing a couple of recent articles on a theme I know many in the TBL community have been chewing on: cognitive debt and cognitive offloading in the age of genAI.

Both get at the same uncomfortable question from different angles — what happens to learning when the tool can produce the output before the learner builds the underlying competence? One frames it as a “debt” we accrue when we offload the thinking; the other as an “illusion of competence” that looks like mastery but isn’t.

Just wanted to share in case these can be a useful resource to you and/or generate thoughtful discussion!

When I say… cognitive debt (Medical Education, 2026)

https://asmepublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/YFJEPDZZQNCDSDAEJEG7?target=10.1111/medu.70274

Wielding Magic Without Mastery: The Illusion of Competence in the Age of AI (AJPE, 2026)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpe.2026.102030

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