Mark Cuban says artificial intelligence is already reshaping the workplace, but how you use it could mean the difference between accelerating or stalling your career.
Speaking on the Big Tech Podcast at the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Convergence AI event on Wednesday, the billionaire investor drew a clear line between the two types of workers emerging in the AI era: those who use technology to learn better and those who use it to cut corners.
“I think right now we’re divided into two types of ways to use AI, or two types of people: people who use AI so that it doesn’t have to learn anything, and people who use AI so that it can learn everything,” Cuban said.
The difference can determine your career.
Citing an earlier analogy in which AI could function like a tireless assistant handling repetitive tasks, he added, “If you’re just using it to get away with work, and it’s a drunk intern, you’re going to have a hard time.”
Mr. Cuban’s warning reflects widespread concern among AI researchers that overreliance on technology can undermine critical thinking.
Vivienne Ming, chief scientist at the Possibility Institute, said AI was widening the gulf between workers who use AI to sharpen their minds and the much larger group who rely on AI to think for them, a change she warned could lead to long-term cognitive decline.
Innovation theorist and Nosta Lab founder John Nosta said AI could also reshape the way people think by reversing the natural learning process, providing sophisticated answers before employees have a chance to ask or understand them, making them less judgmental.
People like Rebecca Hines, director of the Work AI Institute at job search firm Glean, say AI can create an “illusion of expertise” and make workers feel more competent despite their declining basic skills.
On the Big Technology Podcast, Cuban warned that using AI as a shortcut rather than a learning tool can backfire.
“If you just use it without paying attention to it or learning about it, you get nervous,” he says.
Instead, Cuban believes the real benefit of AI lies in its ability to fuel curiosity. Employees who use it to explore topics, question assumptions, and build deeper knowledge can gain a lasting advantage.
“For people who are curious and want to keep learning more, AI is amazing. It always gives you an edge over everyone around you,” he said.
This advantage is important because, despite the hype, Cubans do not believe that AI will replace all jobs. In fact, he expects that routine work will be eliminated while the demand for critical thinking increases.
“If you’re just reformatting, or you’re answering yes or no to questions, you know you’re likely to be replaced by AI,” he said.
“If you learn how to use these tools and know how to think critically, you’re always learning because you’re curious and you’re always on the job, because AI doesn’t know the consequences of its actions,” he added.