When was the last time you solved a tough SAT question all by yourself? Without Google, without ChatGPT, without checking the answer key “just to be sure”?
If you had to think about it… that’s the entire problem.
In a world where AI can write essays, solve math problems, and even plan your study schedule, it’s easy to start believing you’re “learning” when you’re really just outsourcing your intelligence. And Charlie Gedeon’s viral TEDx talk, The Problem with Letting AI Do Your Thinking, cuts straight to this uncomfortable truth.
AI isn’t the enemy. The way we use it is, and for SAT students, this distinction matters more than ever.
The Forklift at the Gym Problem: Why AI Makes You “Feel Smart” But Not Be Smart
In his talk, Gedeon shares a powerful analogy:
Cognitive offloading is like bringing a forklift to the gym.
Sure! You can lift 300 pounds instantly.
But did you get stronger?
AI is the same way. It can solve an SAT algebra question you’ve been staring at for 10 minutes. It can explain Macbeth in perfect, polished English. It can outline your entire personal statement in three seconds.
But here’s the catch:
If AI does the heavy lifting, your brain never gets stronger.
The SAT is built around productive resistance – that slightly uncomfortable cognitive stretch where real learning happens. It’s the moment you wrestle with an idea, test it, fail, adjust, try again. That struggle is not a flaw in learning. It is learning. If AI removes that friction, it also removes the growth.
AI Gives You Answers. Critical Thinkers Ask Better Questions.
This is one of the strongest themes from Gedeon’s talk:
AI can do many things, but it cannot wonder. It cannot question deeply. It cannot think for the sake of thinking. You can ask AI, “What’s the theme of this SAT Reading passage?”
But you still need the human skill of:
- spotting tone
- noticing subtle shifts
- weighing evidence
- thinking logically under pressure
- forming a judgment
These are human strengths. These are SAT strengths. And these only grow when you practice thinking – not when AI does it for you. AI gives you answers. But only you can turn answers into understanding.
Grades vs. Growth: What Are You Actually Learning?
One of the hardest-hitting critiques in the TED talk is this:
Our education system rewards shortcuts. AI just made the shortcuts easier. Students who memorize, copy, or generate answers may get the grade……but do they get the skill?When you let AI think for you, you reinforce a dangerous mindset:“The goal is to be done, not to understand.”That mindset collapses on the SAT – an exam that demands reasoning, not regurgitating.
At EH Tutoring, we constantly remind students:
You’re not just prepping for an exam. You’re preparing your brain for college-level thinking. And your brain can only grow if you do the thinking.
When Support Turns into Dependence
One of the bold questions Gedeon raises is:
Who does AI actually help, if students become dependent on it? Because if you rely on AI for every problem, every explanation, every essay……when test day comes, you’re alone – with your brain. And if your brain has been conditioned to avoid effort, panic follows.This is the real danger of overusing AI for SAT prep: You trick yourself into believing you’re ready……until you’re sitting in front of the real test with no digital safety net.
So How Should Students Use AI?
Here’s the rule we teach at EH Tutoring:
Use AI as a coach, not a crutch.
Let AI:
- Explain concepts after you attempt them
- Help you review mistakes
- Provide additional examples
- Summarize difficult topics
But NOT:
- Solve the question before you try
- Create your study plan without your input
- Write your notes for you
- Replace your thinking
If AI becomes your brain, your brain stops being yours.
The EH Tutoring Perspective: Grow Your Mind, Don’t Replace It
At EH Tutoring, we believe real learning happens when students face challenges, not avoid them. Our job is not to hand you answers. Our job is to teach you how to think so clearly that you no longer need anyone else’s brain – human or artificial.
Your SAT success will come from:
- doing real practice
- building your stamina
- wrestling with hard problems
- asking better questions
- reflecting on mistakes
- and pushing through cognitive resistance
That is how strong thinkers are built.
Final Thought: AI Can Solve Problems, But It Cannot Build You
The SAT isn’t just testing your knowledge – it’s testing the strength of your mind. AI can help you prepare……but only you can do the growing. And trust me: Once you learn to think, truly think, no algorithm in the world can compete with that.