Who is in control ?

We truly live in the age of Artificial Intelligence-where machines don’t just assist us but learn from us, adapt to us, and increasingly make decisions for us. From solving school assignments to generating research papers, AI has quietly embedded itself in our daily routines. With just a few keystrokes, it drafts essays, corrects grammar, summarizes books, and even writes poetry.

The Rise of the All-Knowing Assistant

According to a recent survey conducted by Adobe, about 33% of Indian consumers already use agentic AI, that is, systems interpreting intent, making decisions, and then acting on them autonomously. These tools are not passive responders anymore but active participants in shaping the way people think and learn at work.

For school students and teenagers, AI has become the new study partner, teacher, and at times even a therapist. Need help with an essay? Just ChatGPT it. Stuck on a math problem? Ask the bot. Feeling anxious before an exam? Vent to your AI assistant.

In fact, a survey conducted among 13–18-year-old students shows that 88% of them first reach for AI tools when they feel stressed or anxious. According to India Today, in a different report, 63% of students in the country use AI for academic work, including homework, projects, or simply understanding lessons, as stated by Business Standard.

While parents and teachers may celebrate the “efficiency,” there’s a darker side-the slow erosion of independent thinking. The ease of asking AI for answers has begun replacing the effort required to think critically or creatively.

“Just ChatGPT it” has become not just a phrase but a mindset, which is where the danger begins.

The Honeytrap of Helpfulness :-

Let’s face it: AI is seductive. It’s friendly in tone, instantaneous in its answers, limitless in its help. This isn’t generosity; it’s strategy.

Tech companies know full well that today’s students will be tomorrow’s lifelong customers. That’s why AI assistants are being aggressively marketed to young audiences with free trials, discounted plans for students, and “smart learning” packages. The goal? To turn convenience into habit, and habit into dependency.

It’s a classic honey trap: by the time users realize they’re hooked, their reliance on AI is already deeply ingrained in everyday life — from organizing schedules to writing college essays, even to decisions about what to think or believe.

The Myth of Safe Conversations :-

Here’s where things get a little more disconcerting.

The functionality of AI systems is basically powered by two major frameworks: Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence per se. ML models rely on previously existing data, such as a search engine that matches queries with stored information. But true AI systems-especially generative ones go much further. They don’t just respond to questions; they interpret tone, analyze emotion, and adapt to your preferences.

And here’s the catch: they learn from every interaction you have with them.

In an age of digital loneliness, many users have started treating AI assistants like therapists or confidants-pouring out feelings, fears, and insecurities that one may never share with another human being. It feels safe, judgment-free, and comforting. But behind the illusion of privacy lies a harsh truth: you’re feeding data into a system designed to remember everything.

As one privacy expert put it, “Every message you send to an AI is a data donation — whether you realize it or not.”

If you think the influence of AI stops with chatbots and homework helpers, think again.

The next big revolution is already knocking: AI-powered banking and payment systems. By next year, the vast majority of all major financial apps will be fully integrated with AI. That means your virtual assistant will be able to check your balance, schedule payments, transfer funds, and even detect fraudulent activity-all through conversation.

Sounds risky? Even more so.

Because, to make this convenience possible, users will have to give access to deeply personal information-from financial credentials to transaction history. In some instances, passwords might be shared for seamless automation.

That’s where the problem deepens: when you entrust this kind of trust to an AI system, you are not just sharing data, you are relinquishing control.

That’s according to P.R. Newswire, which says 30% of generative-AI users have already entered personal or confidential information into such tools. In contrast, a report by Cisco found that 59% of people would feel more comfortable using AI if stronger privacy laws were in place. Interestingly, in India, the willingness to share sensitive data with AI systems ranges from 49% to 64%, far higher than global averages.

This is a sobering paradox, the same people concerned about privacy are also most willing to trade it off for convenience.

The Erosion of Boundaries :-

The danger isn’t just technological; it’s psychological.

The more comfortable we become with AI, the more the boundary blurs between help and control. Every suggestion and “personalized” recommendation subtly shapes our choices. In time, AI does not only assist us but starts to influence our decisions, opinions, and even emotions.

The illusion of choice becomes a loop of manipulation, designed to keep users engaged and dependent.

The truth is, AI does not have to take over the world in a sci-fi rebellion; it merely has to make us stop thinking for ourselves. That’s the quiet revolution underway now.

Are We Losing Our Cognitive Edge?

Already, psychologists are warning of a growing “cognitive laziness” among younger generations. When every answer is a prompt away, the human brain stops practicing patience, problem-solving, and memory recall — the very skills that define intelligence.

In class, AI-generated assignments are increasingly indistinguishable from student work. It’s harder for teachers to determine if an essay was written by a student or by ChatGPT. What’s happening isn’t only about academic dishonesty; it’s about intellectual stagnation.

We’re raising a generation that can access information instantly, but can’t always understand it deeply.

The Price of Convenience :

Undeniably, AI has made life easier. It’s faster, smarter, and increasingly intuitive. But that ease comes with an invisible price tag-one paid in data, privacy, and independence.

It’s not just about who controls the algorithms; it’s about who controls the narrative.

Are we shaping AI to serve humanity, or is AI quietly reshaping humanity to serve itself?

The Bottom Line :

AI is not evil, and it’s not even the villain of this story. Like every technology, it mirrors its creators-us. The danger lies not in the code but in our complacency.

The smarter the AI, the lazier we become. The more it learns from us, the less we learn about ourselves.

So, next time you ask your digital assistant to do your homework, write your report, or even give you suggestions of what to eat, stop and think for a moment. Recall that every convenience carries a price.

Because, if we are not careful, we will be living a life sooner where machines no longer serve us; they define us.

It will be “Does it even matter anymore?”

Kashif Afroz Khan, Student at IUST, participant GKSC Bootcamp