Research Information System
in: Overdependence on AI in Academia, IGI Global, pp.141-178, 2026
This chapter builds a theoretical framework for understanding what happens when learners lean too heavily on AI. The core argument is perhaps uncomfortable because these systems often function more like crutches than training wheels, replacing intellectual effort rather than strengthening it. Drawing from phenomenology, critical pedagogy, and cognitive science, researcher examines how AI shifts learning from direct engagement with ideas toward algorithmic mediation. The analysis maps four overlapping dimensions of overdependence while developing what the researcher calls the “enhancement paradox.” Students perform better immediately but something atrophies over time. Through concepts like cognitive offloading and algorithmic authority, this work explores how current AI patterns might undermine authentic learning and genuine agency. At the same time, it suggests principles for more conscious integration. The goal is giving educators conceptual tools for distinguishing enhancement from replacement, preserving the productive struggle that education actually requires.