Brendan McCord, founder and chair of the Cosmos Institute, is warning that adapting to the age of artificial intelligence will require a fundamental upgrade in human thinking.

“In previous technological transitions, humans have adapted in part by developing new higher-level skills and forms of knowledge,” McCord wrote in a Substack post. “Specifically, AI demands a new metacognitive capacity: reflective discernment. We’ll need to be able to clearly differentiate our own reasoned judgments from the pull of algorithmic suggestion.”

McCord argues that AI systems are not simply automating tasks. They are also shaping how humans process information and make decisions. As algorithms increasingly influence information flows, he believes individuals must develop the skill of metacognition, the ability to think critically about their own thinking processes. Building this discipline will allow people to separate authentic reasoning from subtle algorithmic manipulation and maintain their autonomy in a rapidly changing cognitive environment.

Brendan McCord is the founder and chair of the Cosmos Institute, an organization dedicated to helping humanity navigate the societal and philosophical challenges of advanced artificial intelligence. A former technology executive and AI policy advisor, McCord works to promote thoughtful leadership and critical thinking in the age of accelerating technological change.