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- AI's real threat is what it can do to your ability to think
AI's real threat is what it can do to your ability to think
Six dinner ideas to keep rising grocery costs in check, a poll on where you land in the AI debate, and a story of a cranky old cat who started a rescue revolution that has changed hundreds of lives for GOOD.
Greg Sullivan
October 01, 2025 • Est. Reading Time: 8 minutes
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“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
― Douglas Adams
In this issue...
Your brain is like any muscle: skip the reps, lose the gains.
In the time before GPS, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I could find my way to anywhere I wanted to go using just my memory. Today, I put the supermarket (.89 miles away) into Maps out of habit, and I’m pretty sure if I didn’t… I’d get lost. And what’s the harm, really? GPS isn’t going anywhere. Why not offload the mental overhead to an app?
“If you don’t care, you don’t remember the output, you don’t care about the output, what ultimately is it for?”
What happens, though, when it isn’t navigation we’re discussing, but the very concept of thinking itself? The rise of artificial intelligence has moved that question from abstract to urgent with startling speed, and MIT researcher Nataliya Kos’myna says the results are clear. Much like I’ve had my once laudable navigation skills atrophy, subjects of her testing had their writing skills crumble when they used AI to help. Over 80% of participants who used ChatGPT to write an essay were unable to recall a single quote from their own work.
As Ryan Reed reports, the research included EEG scans while students worked with (for?) ChatGPT. Their mental activity cratered vs students who wrote using only the ol’ grey matter.
How do you feel about AI?Artificial Intelligence leapt off the pages of sci-fi directly into our lives faster than anyone saw coming. Miracle, menace, or meh. Where do you land? |
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And what did we learn?
Free speech is worth protecting (and making movies about), but it is having a rough go of it recently. We asked our GOOD readers what the biggest threat to free speech today is today, and well over half of you agreed that the government is the problem.
Government censorship (53.8%)
Corporate control of media (25.0%)
Social media algorithms (9.6%)
AI deepfakes & synthetic media (9.6%)
Image of the day
I was searching for a beautiful image to share with you and thought this image by Luc Viatour would dew nicely.
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We’ve gathered six dinner ideas to fill bellies without emptying wallets.
Grocery prices are a lot like Olympic pole vaulters; they love going higher and higher*. Unlike pole vaulters, though, once grocery prices set a new record, they don’t seem to come back down. It’s doing real damage to household budgets across the country, but you have to eat, so what can you do?
Erik Barnes has compiled six delicious meal ideas that help alleviate some of the financial burden of family meals. You won’t find fast food on the list; instead, you'll find healthy, easy-to-prepare fare for any-sized family with any-sized budget. The best part is all the room for personal improv in these dishes, so you can stretch a dollar while really making dinner your own.
* - I want you to know that in my first draft, there was a Snoop Dogg joke here, and I cut it because I’m very professional.
Often, the loved ones left behind are of the four-legged variety.
When Angela Rafuse’s grandfather passed away, he left behind a grumpy old cat named Mackenzie. Angela stepped up to adopt the cantankerous kitty and began a journey that would lead to the successful rehousing of hundreds of pets whose owners had moved into retirement homes or passed away.
“We are making a difference, one adoption at a time.”
Our Amy Lamare spoke with Angela about her charity My Grandfather’s Cat, the joys of making a difference, and the loneliness epidemic seniors face every day.
Why not do something GOOD in your community today?
Mackenzie’s story reminds us that love doesn’t age out, so whether it’s opening your home to a senior pet or helping an elderly person keep theirs, you can be part of that legacy of care.
Do you have something GOOD to share?
We’re always on the lookout for uplifting, enlightening, and engaging content to share with readers like you. If you have something you think should be featured in the Daily GOOD, let me know!
💬 From the group text…
This is a shockingly accurate illustration of what it’s like trying to get my son out of bed in the morning.
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Until tomorrow, may you challenge that mind of yours to put in one more rep. Come on, you got this!