Economic Survey 2026: How India wants to protect its young minds from over-reliance on AI

The government recently published the Economic Survey 2026 report, and one of the key aspects that it wants to address is the cognitive atrophy – a phrase used to define the gradual weakening of our critical and creative abilities caused by over-reliance on automated systems. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes a daily tool for writing, coding, and problem-solving, this presents itself as a cause for greater concern. While AI offers unprecedented productivity, its widespread use for fundamental cognitive tasks is leading to what has been termed the “Great Brain Robbery.”