Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Reclaim your brain: How to use AI without losing memory - focus and thinking skills
Reclaim your brain: How to use AI without losing memory, focus and thinking skills
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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/reclaim-your-brain-how-to-use-ai-without-losing-memory-focus-and-thinking-skills
2026-07-21
Stephanie Yeo
Senior Correspondent
SINGAPORE – Tan Wan Ting, 34, founder of a digital marketing agency, is such a fan of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) that she has three accounts with Claude, an AI chatbot.
Since March, AI has helped her automate many work processes and boosted productivity among her team of almost 30. Excited about its potential, she would lie awake at night thinking of what to automate next.
In the process, however, it distorted the standards she had set for herself and her team. She started comparing humans to a machine that never gets tired or has a bad day.
“It’s an impossible bar. Holding my team and myself to it slowly eroded my patience and my sense of what a reasonable amount of output is,” she says.
Tan also realised that she became dependent on AI to process information, including simple materials, before she attempted to digest it herself. For instance, she would feed everything through AI to read first and summarise.
“I even started getting AI to crawl through e-books I’d bought and generate summaries rather than re-reading them myself,” she says, on how her habit of revisiting texts has changed.
“I realised that this shortcut was taking away my ability to sit with information and think it through.”
Her experience is probably becoming more commonplace as Singaporeans embrace a nationwide push for AI in the work sphere and beyond.
But what is the price for doubling or tripling performance?
Gen AI is such a new phenomenon that there is little data on its long-term effects on the brain. After all, the public version of ChatGPT launched only in November 2022.
Zhao Yi Jing, a neurologist in private practice at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, says early data in 2025 showed that university students with high AI usage were less engaged in independent problem-solving, and the younger ones demonstrated greater dependence and lower critical-thinking scores.
These studies include one published in The New England Journal Of Medicine by American researchers and one by Wuhan University in China.
Whether relying too much on AI leads to permanent brain atrophy is still unknown, Zhao adds.
Some may argue that using an AI chatbot is no different from using a search engine or using a vehicle Global Positioning System for navigation as these tools have enhanced, rather than eroded, human performance.
But neurologists say this analogy does not hold.
Such technological tools replace specific cognitive tasks since one still needs to choose from different routes or process search findings to form one’s own conclusion, says Jennifer Hung, a consultant in the Division of Neurology within the National University Hospital’s Department of Medicine.
“AI can substitute multiple higher-order executive functions simultaneously. It doesn’t just find information. It analyses it, structures arguments, writes the text and delivers a completed opinion,” Hung says.
“Older technologies automated the mechanics of a task, but AI automates the synthesis. When you bypass synthesis, you bypass the neuroplastic exercises that build human expertise.”
Risks of cognitive offloading
People who rely heavily on AI can experience cognitive offloading, which is the habit of relying on external tools to perform mental tasks that the brain would otherwise perform, Hung explains.
Frequent cognitive offloading can gradually affect one’s working memory, critical reasoning, attention, information retrieval and problem-solving, she adds. Subtle shifts, such as struggling to read a long article or forgetting details easily, can manifest in as little as a few weeks.
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“Take memory, for example. Retaining information requires working memory, encoding and retrieval. When you expect an AI to always hold or retrieve information for you, your brain skips the encoding phase entirely, a phenomenon known as digital amnesia,” she says.
At the same time, the seemingly polished output by AI chatbots can make users think the chatbots understand a topic better than they actually do. This erodes skills like critical thinking and error-checking.
Over time, users may learn to accept inaccurate information without question, Hung points out.
While anyone using AI frequently can experience cognitive offloading, two age groups seem particularly vulnerable to its effects, Hung says.
The first is children and teenagers, whose prefrontal cortex is still developing and will not mature until they are in their mid-20s. They may never fully develop the fundamental neural networks they need for logical reasoning, working memory and critical analysis if they use only AI for cognitive tasks.
Older adults, on the other hand, risk losing the mental stimulation they need to prevent age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s when they over-rely on AI.
“The key takeaway is to use AI to support your thinking and not replace it, so you continue to actively challenge your brain,” adds Zhao.
Use AI actively, not passively
AI does not have to drain the brain, though. The good news is that people with healthy brains can reverse short-term cognitive offloading.
Hung says: “If you reintroduce activities that demand active thinking, these neural pathways will rebuild and strengthen again because of neuroplasticity.”
She suggests the following strategies:
• Follow a brain-first approach: Brainstorm and draft your plan, paper or speech by yourself and bring in AI at the 70 per cent mark for feedback.
• Get AI to challenge you: Use prompts that stimulate thinking, such as “What assumptions am I making?” or “Give me the opposite argument”.
• Make AI the teacher: If you are trying to learn, prompt AI to quiz you instead of giving the answer straight away.
• Savour before you summarise: Read long-form material to cultivate attention skills.
• Block devices regularly: Carve out AI-free periods when you can write, plan or tackle problems.
• Question perfect answers: Do not take AI-generated replies at face value. Verify them, especially when it comes to topics like health, finances and legal issues.
• Keep your brain healthy: Exercise regularly, get enough sleep, engage with others socially and pick up new skills or cognitively demanding hobbies.
Tan says her recent epiphany about AI’s repercussions has led her to rethink how she uses it. Instead of letting it set the pace and cramming more into her day, she aims to use the time saved for face-to-face interaction.
“I’ve also started setting aside device-free time slots to properly reason through the important decisions and information I need to work through as a business owner. It’s a small change, but it forces me to do the thinking myself again instead of outsourcing it by default,” she says.
AI: RECLAIM YOUR BRAIN:How to use AI without losing memory, focus and thinking skills
RECLAIM YOUR BRAIN:How to use AI without losing memory, focus and thinking skills
A neurologist suggests activities that demand active thinking to mitigate over-reliance on AI
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2026-07-22
The Straits Times
Stephanie Yeo
Senior Correspondent
=====
Tan Wan Ting, 34, founder of a digital marketing agency, is such a fan of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) that she has three accounts with Claude, an AI chatbot.
Since March, AI has helped her automate many work processes and boosted productivity among her team of almost 30. Excited about its potential, she would lie awake at night thinking of what to automate next.
In the process, however, it distorted the standards she had set for herself and her team. She started comparing humans to a machine that never gets tired or has a bad day.
“It’s an impossible bar. Holding my team and myself to it slowly eroded my patience and my sense of what a reasonable amount of output is,” she says.
Tan also realised that she became dependent on AI to process information, including simple materials, before she attempted to digest it herself. For instance, she would feed everything through AI to read first and summarise.
“I even started getting AI to crawl through e-books I’d bought and generate summaries rather than re-reading them myself,” she says, on how her habit of revisiting texts has changed.
“I realised that this shortcut was taking away my ability to sit with information and think it through.”
Her experience is probably becoming more commonplace as Singaporeans embrace a nationwide push for AI in the work sphere and beyond.
But what is the price for doubling or tripling performance?
Gen AI is such a new phenomenon that there is little data on its long-term effects on the brain. After all, the public version of ChatGPT launched only in November 2022.
Zhao Yi Jing, a neurologist in private practice at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, says early data in 2025 showed that university students with high AI usage were less engaged in independent problem-solving, and the younger ones demonstrated greater dependence and lower critical-thinking scores. These studies include one published in The New England Journal Of Medicine by American researchers and one by Wuhan University in China.
Whether relying too much on AI leads to permanent brain atrophy is still unknown, Zhao adds.
Some may argue that using an AI chatbot is no different from using a search engine or using a vehicle Global Positioning System for navigation as these tools have enhanced, rather than eroded, human performance.
But neurologists say this analogy does not hold.
Such technological tools replace specific cognitive tasks since one still needs to choose from different routes or process search findings to form one’s own conclusion, says Jennifer Hung, a consultant in the Division of Neurology within the National University Hospital’s Department of Medicine.
“AI can substitute multiple higher-order executive functions simultaneously. It doesn’t just find information. It analyses it, structures arguments, writes the text and delivers a completed opinion,” Hung says.
“Older technologies automated the mechanics of a task, but AI automates the synthesis. When you bypass synthesis, you bypass the neuroplastic exercises that build human expertise.”
Risks of cognitive offloading
People who rely heavily on AI can experience cognitive offloading, which is the habit of relying on external tools to perform mental tasks that the brain would otherwise perform, Hung explains.
Frequent cognitive offloading can gradually affect one’s working memory, critical reasoning, attention, information retrieval and problem-solving, she adds. Subtle shifts, such as struggling to read a long article or forgetting details easily, can manifest in as little as a few weeks.
“Take memory, for example. Retaining information requires working memory, encoding and retrieval. When you expect an AI to always hold or retrieve information for you, your brain skips the encoding phase entirely, a phenomenon known as digital amnesia,” she says.
At the same time, the seemingly polished output by AI chatbots can make users think the chatbots understand a topic better than they actually do. This erodes skills like critical thinking and error-checking.
Over time, users may learn to accept inaccurate information without question, Hung points out.
While anyone using AI frequently can experience cognitive offloading, two age groups seem particularly vulnerable to its effects, Hung says.
The first is children and teenagers, whose prefrontal cortex is still developing and will not mature until they are in their mid-20s. They may never fully develop the fundamental neural networks they need for logical reasoning, working memory and critical analysis if they use only AI for cognitive tasks.
Older adults, on the other hand, risk losing the mental stimulation they need to prevent age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s when they over-rely on AI.
“The key takeaway is to use AI to support your thinking and not replace it, so you continue to actively challenge your brain,” adds Zhao.
Use AI actively, not passively
AI does not have to drain the brain, though. The good news is that people with healthy brains can reverse short-term cognitive offloading.
Hung says: “If you reintroduce activities that demand active thinking, these neural pathways will rebuild and strengthen again because of neuroplasticity.”
She suggests the following strategies:
- Follow a brain-first approach: Brainstorm and draft your plan, paper or speech by yourself and bring in AI at the 70 per cent mark for feedback.
- Get AI to challenge you: Use prompts that stimulate thinking, such as “What assumptions am I making?” or “Give me the opposite argument”.
- Make AI the teacher: If you are trying to learn, prompt AI to quiz you instead of giving the answer straight away.
- Savour before you summarise: Read long-form material to cultivate attention skills.
- Block devices regularly: Carve out AI-free periods when you can write, plan or tackle problems.
- Question perfect answers: Do not take AI-generated replies at face value. Verify them, especially when it comes to topics like health, finances and legal issues.
- Keep your brain healthy: Exercise regularly, get enough sleep, engage with others socially and pick up new skills or cognitively demanding hobbies.
Tan says her recent epiphany about AI’s repercussions has led her to rethink how she uses it. Instead of letting it set the pace and cramming more into her day, she aims to use the time saved for face-to-face interaction.
“I’ve also started setting aside device-free time slots to properly reason through the important decisions and information I need to work through as a business owner. It’s a small change, but it forces me to do the thinking myself again instead of outsourcing it by default,” she says.
stephyeo@sph.com.sg
Mizuho Singapore chief executive Josephine Lok: S’poreans’ blend of East and West is an edge in global business: Mizuho Singapore CEO
Mizuho Singapore chief executive Josephine Lok joined the Japanese bank in 2023 following an eight-year stint at UBS and, before that, a six-year stint at Credit Suisse.PHOTO: MIZUHO SINGAPORE
Note: The Chinese name for Josephine Lok, the CEO of Mizuho Bank Singapore, is 駱佩琪 (Lu Pei Qi).
=====
*S’poreans’ blend of East and West is an edge in global business: Mizuho Singapore CEO*
Singaporean workers have a distinct competitive advantage in today’s global workplace – one that draws on the strengths of Eastern and Western work cultures, says Josephine Lok, the first female chief executive of Mizuho Singapore.
Mizuho Singapore chief executive Josephine Lok joined the Japanese bank in 2023 following an eight-year stint at UBS and, before that, a six-year stint at Credit Suisse.
https://str.sg/EFSk
=====
S’poreans’ blend of East and West is an edge in global business: Mizuho Singapore CEO
With their Western efficiency and Asian roots, they can serve as cultural bridges, she says
Singaporean workers have a distinct competitive advantage in today’s global workplace – one that draws on the strengths of Eastern and Western work cultures, says Josephine Lok, the first female chief executive of Mizuho Singapore.
In her nearly three years at the Japanese bank, she has learnt the value of long-term commitment. Japanese organisations may take longer to make decisions, says Lok, but “once they’re committed, they’re all out” – prioritising long-term relationships over short-term gains.
Japanese workplace culture, the Singaporean adds, favours alignment and consensus before making decisions, and values team achievement over individual glory.
Western workplace culture, by comparison, places greater emphasis on speed, individual accountability and open conversations, she says – with leadership often tied to individual visibility and charisma.
It is this contrast, Lok says, that gives Singaporean workers an edge – combining speed, agility and execution often associated with the West with Asian values of respect, trust and consensus-building.
“Singaporeans have a niche. We have Asian roots and Western efficiency,” the 50-year-old says in an interview with The Straits Times at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore in late June, adding that this enables them to serve as effective cultural and business bridges.
“Our ability to balance speed with sensitivity is a distinct competitive advantage. I want to take the best of Singapore and Japan and combine it. I think that will make Mizuho Singapore very strong.”
Transforming for impact
One of the first things she noticed when she joined Mizuho Singapore was its Japanese-style security system, which the local office had adopted some 40 years ago.
The first employee to arrive each morning had to deactivate the alarm using a switch that was not intuitive. The last to leave had to walk around the office to confirm everyone was gone before reactivating the alarm.
The security procedures made sense historically in Japan, where Mizuho has many retail branches, including in remote locations.
“It may seem like a small issue, but the security system had wider implications,” says Lok.
Among its practical constraints: employees were less inclined to arrive early; cleaning activities had to start later and often coincided with peak office hours; and movement across floors was more restricted, limiting opportunities for spontaneous collaboration.
Lok says: “I asked: We’re in Asia Square in Singapore – a very safe country – with building security already in place, so why are we still doing this?”
As a result, she replaced the alarm systems and access cards with facial recognition.
She acknowledges it took time to convince the head office in Tokyo, but notes that it was ultimately supportive.
“Rather than making a small improvement, we leapfrogged to a completely new solution. When we made that change, some of our long-serving colleagues said, ‘I can’t believe we were actually able to change that’.”
That security revamp was part of a five-year transformation plan she introduced when she joined Mizuho Singapore following an eight-year stint at UBS and, before that, a six-year stint at Credit Suisse.
The first phase has been successfully completed, with the Japanese bank now in the second phase.
Lok says: “We strengthened our foundations in technology and infrastructure, modernised the office and improved our processes over 16 to 18 months.”
Another initiative is the bank’s flexi-benefits programme, under which employees receive flexi credits that can be used for various well-being and lifestyle expenses.
When Lok first joined, however, the programme had many restrictions, such as separate spending limits for different categories.
“Why do we need all these restrictions? From the bank’s perspective, the impact is minimal regardless of how employees choose to use their credits,” she says.
Mizuho then worked with its insurer to remove those unnecessary limits, giving employees greater flexibility to use the benefits to best meet their needs.
Lok recognises that transformation is not only about change, but also about preserving and strengthening what already works. “At Mizuho, that’s our deeply rooted culture of care.”
Empowering staff to effect change
Lok makes a point of meeting new joiners quarterly to hear their ideas for change, always asking them two questions: What do they miss about their last workplace? What is their first impression of Mizuho?
She also rolled out the MizuhoCares programme, which encourages employees to identify opportunities and solve problems to create positive outcomes for colleagues, clients and the wider community.
“When we started, we sent out an e-mail every Friday. The goal was to build momentum and create a sense of anticipation, so that every Friday, people would expect an update and know that something new or a change was coming,” she says, adding that the bank has highlighted 97 initiatives so far.
This also encourages long-term employees, who are accustomed to the way things have always been done, to think about what change could look like, she says.
“People are typically not very comfortable with change. Instead of driving change via enforcement, we focus on encouragement and engagement. Through initiatives like the Catalyst Award, we recognise employees who champion change and create positive impact, creating a culture where innovation and continuous improvement are celebrated.”
‘Self-doubt is a very natural thing’
Despite close to three decades of experience under her belt, Lok still faces moments of self-doubt. She confronts them head-on.
When she was offered the chief operating officer post at UBS in 2019, and later, the CEO role at Mizuho Singapore in 2023, both represented a significant step up from her previous positions. Like many people facing a major career transition, she wondered whether she was ready.
However, after going through both experiences, she realised that no one is ever fully prepared for a role of that scale. Instead, people grow into the role over time – learning, adapting and developing as they take on new challenges and responsibilities.
“I don’t see self-doubt as a very negative thing. As you doubt yourself, you get more humble and you start thinking about the areas you need to improve on. Self-doubt is a very natural thing as we are humans. When you are given something that is out of your comfort zone, of course it’s uncomfortable,” says Lok, adding that embracing it is key.
To women: Be open, don’t assume
Asked what leadership advice she would give young women, she says she believes the first step is to not limit their own thinking.
Women should not assume certain roles are out of reach because of their gender, or question whether they are suitable for promotion for the same reason.
Lok encourages young women, in particular, to remain open to opportunities and experiences that take them outside their comfort zones.
Early in her career at consulting firm Accenture, though based in Singapore, Lok spent significant time working overseas, with postings to places such as Australia, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
“I encourage young people to step out of their comfort zones and take on challenges, especially overseas assignments. I did that early in my career, before I had family commitments, and it was one of the best decisions I had ever made,” says Lok, who is married.
“It gave me new perspectives, accelerated my growth and shaped who I am as a leader today. When you’re starting out, there’s also more room to learn and make mistakes. People tend to be more forgiving because you’re still building your experience.”
Sheila Chiang
Business Correspondent
sheilachiang@sph.com.sg
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
The Untold Story of Singapore's Contribution In China's Rise - Professor Tan Kong Yam (4K)https://youtu.be/runDY-cjCc0?is=k4uNeCH47wpn4kRk
https://youtu.be/runDY-cjCc0?is=k4uNeCH47wpn4kRk
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