AI and Epidemic of Intellectual Obesity | MOHAMMED AJMAL C | TEDxPeacePublicSchoolKottakkal
How many clicks, swipes and AI prompts does it take before our brains stop doing the heavy lifting? In this TEDx talk, educator-entrepreneur Mohammed Ajmal reveals what he calls “Intellectual Obesity”—a hidden epidemic in which ever-smarter tools hand us flawless answers while quietly starving our critical-thinking muscles. The talk opens with a dramatic on-stage experiment: a JEE-Advanced problem that used to humble India’s brightest teens now collapses in four seconds under a generative-AI lens. Ajmal then weaves classroom interviews with fresh MIT brain-scan research to show how children’s neural “gym time” is being outsourced, shifting young minds from active problem-solving into passive copy-and-paste mode.But this is not a doom-and-gloom sermon. Ajmal argues that the real divide of the coming decade will be between Augmented Thinkers, who treat AI as a sparring partner that builds cognitive strength, and Dependent Users, who let the tool become a crutch. He outlines a simple three-step blueprint—tested in math, history and science classes—that forces students to probe, critique and improve AI-generated work, turning easy answers into deeper questions and stronger synapses. Finally, he calls on parents, teachers and policymakers to redesign homework, exams and curricula so the next generation can grow up mentally fit in an age of endless convenience.Ajmal is an IIT Madras-trained engineer turned educator, Ajmal is the founder & CEO of XandY Learning, which serves 4000+ students and leads AI-literacy drives. He hosts the 100 K-subscriber YouTube channel “Unlearn with Ajmal” and writes for The Hindu and other medias on education reform and the future of work. His mission is simple: help every child build the thinking skills—and ethical compass—needed to thrive alongside AI. Mohammed Ajmal C is the Co-Founder and CEO of XandY Learning while serving as Design Engineering Lead at Intel Corporation and Fellow/Trustee of PM Foundation. An IIT Madras dual degree graduate (B.Tech Honors in Electrical Engineering, top 1%), he was a topper in IIT JEE, AIEEE, Kerala Engineering Entrance, CUSAT, and BITSAT. As an educational vlogger ("Unlearn with Ajmal") with 77.6K YouTube subscribers, he conducts workshops on career guidance and learning science for students, teachers, and parents. A sought-after speaker, he has delivered sessions at PROFCON, PROFACE, Calicut University ("AI: Beyond Buzzwords"), and schools nationwide, while receiving recognition from Prof P Raveendran (VC, Calicut University). His initiatives include the 'Science of Learning' workshop (KNCC Qatar) and 'Ezhuthupura' program with Wisdom Board of Education. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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