This week Ian and Michael discuss “cognitive surrender” — the increasingly common habit of accepting whatever an AI chatbot tells us without much scrutiny. From there the conversation moves into critical thinking, the uneasy role of AI in recruitment and hiring, and the broader question of whether convenience is eroding our willingness to verify information for ourselves. We also revisit one of the podcast’s recurring themes: AI chess algorithms. A mildly sceptical look at what happens when outsourcing thought becomes just a little too easy. (This description was written with the help of AI - because outsourcing thought is indeed just a little too easy...)