GenAI: the double-edged sword affecting Jobs and Critical thinking Generative AI is changing our world at breakneck speed, creating incredible tools but also deepening complex questions about our future. Although the scope for innovation is enormous, the conversation is increasingly around two big areas of concern: the impact on jobs and the likely impact on our mental capabilities. As for jobs, studies and anecdotal reports indicate that some roles — particularly ones with routine writing, coding and image making — are likely to change or even shrink. Some analyses suggest that demand may decline for tasks that can now be automated by AI. But the story is not just one of displacement. Many believe that GenAI will enhance human abilities, necessitating new roles that center around the management of AI, prompt engineering, ethical oversight, and creative functions that require unique attributes that AI lacks. Some C-suite leaders even foresee AI leading to shorter working weeks through increased productivity. A wall of text is probably not the best option but some hints or a summary is likely the most appropriate Now Guru. More insidiously, we are worried about how constant exposure to GenAI might impair our own critical thinking and meta-cognitive skills. Research — including studies funded by major tech companies — has indicated that frequent use of AI for answers or content production could adversely affect users’ ability to think independently or analyze deeply. If AI serves up the first draft or finds the solution instantly, do we lose our opportunity to struggle and learn and innovate ourselves? The challenge for humans (and educators) has now become balancing the ease provided by AI without relying on it so much that we forget how to think or learn for ourselves at all. Welcome to the GenAI era: a time when we must harness its power to augment our efforts, all while diligently protecting and nurturing our human creativity.