Discussing AI’s societal impact with the Volkskrant, Sander Duivestein (Sogeti) sketches a dual reality: AI can sharpen thinking and reveal hidden talents, yet widespread uncritical use fuels flattening, fragmentation and alienation. The issue is not whether to use AI, but which parts of our thinking we outsource—and how we retain responsibility.
Building on his early critique of social media (2012), Duivestein applies the lens to generative AI. His thesis: with breakthrough tech an 80/20 pattern often appears—the majority uses the tool shallowly, a minority strategically. In AI, that means many users accept the first answer, weakening critical craftsmanship.
He also sees clear benefits: using AI as a sparring partner—to test ideas, generate counter-arguments, and iterate drafts—can lead to better insights. The condition is human control: people remain composer and editor-in-chief; AI provides variations and perspectives.
Duivestein outlines three effects of the digital wave—now accelerated by AI:
Flattening – reduced capacity for slow, focused thinking.
Fragmentation – personalised realities that undermine shared facts.
Alienation – distance from others and oneself, with risks of parasocial ties to chatbots.
His call to action: practice conscious outsourcing. Let AI assist with repetitive knowledge work while preserving human judgment, context and ethics. Promote critical use (probe, verify, iterate) and the physical world (interaction, craft, responsibility). Under those conditions, AI can democratise knowledge and amplify non-academic talent without eroding judgment.
Read also
