In a few years, “not being able to use AI” may mean something close to today’s “not being able to use a smartphone.”
In today’s world, AI is not just a convenient tool.
I think of AI asa training wheel, a companion on the road, and a helper for growing oneselffor surviving a new era.
However, the important thing here is not to use AI as something that thinks everything through in your place.
AI is not a tool that lets you stop thinking; it is a tool forthinking more deeplywith.
Use AI to organize your own thoughts.
Use AI to refine your own words.
Use AI to broaden your perspective.
Use AI to deepen your learning.
Use AI to improve the efficiency of your work and side jobs.
Used this way, AI becomes a powerful force.
But on the other hand, if you hand over all thinking to AI, and use it without thinking, checking, or making judgments yourself, then behind that conveniencecognitive debtmay accumulate.
Simply put, cognitive debt isthe weakening of your thinking and judgment abilities later on because you do not use your own thinking power.
What matters in the AI era is not merely using AI.
What matters isgrowing yourself through AI.
For the future, a way of living that relies only on your main job may become difficult
In Japan today, more and more people feel uneasy about relying only on their main job.
Of course, it cannot be said that “everyone must definitely have a side job to survive.” It depends on your occupation, region, family structure, living expenses, company benefits, and asset situation.
That said, in reality, as prices continue to rise and real wages remain sluggish,the importance of considering income sources beyond your main job is increasing.
Looking at the Consumer Price Index from the Statistics Bureau of Japan, the 2025 average overall index rose 3.2% year-on-year, and the overall index excluding fresh food rose 3.1% year-on-year. In other words, the burden of the money needed for daily life is clearly increasing.
Government materials also explain that in 2025, real wage growth often remained negative year-on-year. Real wages are the “true power” of pay after subtracting price increases. Even if wages rise a little, if prices rise more than that, life does not become easier.
In a time like this, rather than relying entirely on your main job, it becomes important to steadily build your skills and increase the number of pillars supporting your income.
One of those pillars is a side job.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is also developing guidelines on side jobs and concurrent jobs so that companies and workers can approach them with peace of mind. The guidelines have also been revised so that workers who want a side job or concurrent job can pursue diverse career development.
In other words, side jobs are no longer just for a select few.
In the years ahead, I think side jobs will become a means of protecting your livelihood, a means of developing your skills, and a means of expanding your possibilities.
In online side jobs, whether you can use AI makes a big difference
There are many forms of side jobs.
Some are like part-time work, where you sell your time.
Some involve work that uses specialized skills.
There are also online side jobs using the internet, such as blogging, social media, video, e-books, content sales, web production, writing, image creation, video editing, programming, and online stores.
Especially in online side jobs, whether you can use AI makes a fairly large difference in work efficiency.
For example, even when writing a blog, AI can help with tasks like these:
・Coming up with article title ideas
・Creating an article structure
・Adjusting wording so readers can understand it easily
・Explaining difficult content in a clear way
・Organizing SEO keywords
・Converting it into social media posts
・Thinking of ideas for featured images
・Writing product descriptions
・Anticipating readers’ questions
・Checking for typos and omissions
・Pointing out counterarguments and weak points
In the past, you had to research, think, write, and revise all of these by yourself.
Of course, even now, you still need to think for yourself in the end.
But if you use AI, the speed of research, organization, writing, improvement, and idea generation increases dramatically.
In other words, people who can use AI can get more work done in the same hour.
People who cannot use AI may need several times more time for the same task.
That is a very big difference in side jobs.
In a few years, not being able to use AI may become close to “not being able to use a smartphone”
I think it is best to look at this very realistically.
In today’s world, you do not know how to use a feature phone.
You cannot operate a smartphone.
You cannot search the internet.
You cannot use LINE or email.
You cannot complete online procedures.
When that happens, daily life in society becomes quite inconvenient.
Of course, this is not about mocking such people.
It is natural that some people are not used to it because of age or environment.
But in reality, in an era where you cannot use a smartphone or the internet, it has become disadvantageous in many situations such as gathering information, communication, work, shopping, reservations, government procedures, disaster information, maps, and payments.
I feel that AI is also likely to become something very similar.
Right now, there is still a divide between people who use AI and people who do not.
But in just a few years, I think using AI for writing, research, document creation, work efficiency, learning, side jobs, planning, analysis, programming, and creating images and videos will become quite normal.
In fact, Japan’s Basic Plan for AI positions AI as an essential technology for the sustainable development of the world, not only because it greatly improves efficiency and convenience, but also because it is expected to strengthen human creativity. It also explains that AI is directly linked to industrial competitiveness and security, and that efforts are being strengthened around the world because it affects national strength.
The same document also points out that in Japan, AI has not yet been actively utilized in daily life and work, and that the lag is becoming apparent.
In addition, the Cabinet Office’s Integrated Innovation Strategy 2025 lays out education to spread the knowledge needed so citizens can benefit from AI, securing and developing people with AI skills, and promoting educational content to improve AI literacy.
In other words, this is not just a trend.
As a nation, as companies, and as society, there is a growing need for people who can use AI, people who can understand AI, and people who can use AI safely.
That is why I feel thatto survive the coming era, it is very important to grow yourself while using AI.
AI is a “training wheel” and a “companion on the road”
When explaining AI, I think the metaphor of a “training wheel” is very easy to understand.
A child riding a bicycle for the first time cannot balance well from the start.
That is where training wheels come in.
With training wheels, it is less likely you will fall.
You can practice with peace of mind.
You get a sense of moving forward.
Little by little, your confidence grows.
AI is similar to this.
People who are not good at writing can have AI create an outline.
People who struggle to organize their thoughts can ask AI questions.
People who are not good at research can have AI organize the key points.
People who do not know how to start a side job can have AI break the steps down.
In this way, AI helps with the first step.
However, what matters here isnot to rely on the training wheels forever.
Training wheels are something you use to grow.
They are something you use so you can learn to balance on your own.
AI is the same.
Use AI to develop your own thinking ability.
Use AI to develop your own writing ability.
Use AI to develop your own judgment.
Use AI to develop your side-job skills.
This is the way to use it.
So AI is not just a training wheel.
Once you get used to it, AI also becomes a companion that thinks alongside you.
And once you become even better at using it, it becomes a powerful tool that expands your possibilities.
But if you hand everything over to AI, cognitive debt increases
AI is convenient.
But precisely because it is convenient, caution is needed.
If you hand over all thinking to AI, cognitive debt may increase.
Simply put, cognitive debt isthe weakening of your thinking and judgment abilities later on because you do not use your own thinking power.
To put it more clearly, it is like having someone else do all your homework every time.
It is easy at the moment.
It ends quickly.
You get a nice answer.
But you are not thinking for yourself.
As a result, when you try to solve a problem on your own,
“I don’t know where to start thinking”
“I don’t know why that becomes the answer”
“I can’t tell whether it is correct”
“I can’t explain it in my own words”
.
That is the cognitive debt that can arise in the AI era.
Have AI write the text.
Have AI produce the answer.
Have AI make the judgment.
Have AI summarize everything.
If you keep doing this, work may become faster on the surface.
However, if knowledge, experience, and judgment are not accumulated within you, then behind that convenience, a “debt of thinking power” keeps growing.
That is the frightening part.
The more you use AI, the more critical thinking may weaken
Using AI itself is not bad.
Rather, if used correctly, AI becomes a tool that enhances thinking ability.
However, it has also been pointed out that if you trust AI too much, your ability to think for yourself can weaken.
A study by Microsoft Research and Carnegie Mellon University surveyed 319 knowledge workers who use generative AI, and showed a tendency for critical thinking to decrease as trust in AI increased. It also pointed out that using AI makes it easier for a person’s role to shift from “thinking for oneself” to “checking AI’s answers.”
This is very important.
AI’s answers look very natural.
The writing is polished.
The explanations seem convincing.
Because of that, people are tempted to think,
“If AI says so, it must be right”
“This is good enough”
“I don’t need to think for myself”
.
But AI answers are not always correct.
Sometimes they give outdated information.
Sometimes they say things that sound plausible but are factually wrong.
Sometimes they may not fit your own situation even if they are generally correct.
Sometimes the wording is overstated.
Sometimes they summarize weak evidence in a way that sounds convincing.
So in the AI era, what matters is not blindly believing AI’s answers.
What matters is, after looking at the answer,
“Is this really correct?”
“Is there evidence for it?”
“Does it fit my situation?”
“Is it overstated?”
“Could it mislead readers?”
“Can I explain it in my own words?”
This is the ability you need to check.
The difference between people who grow through AI side jobs and people whose cognitive debt grows
There are broadly two ways to use AI in side jobs.
One is to hand everything over to AI.
The other is to use AI to train yourself.
People who hand everything over to AI use it like this:
“Write everything”
“Write an article I can use as-is”
“I’m too lazy to think, so just give me the answer”
“Post it as is without checking”
“Don’t include my own opinion”
“Don’t fact-check it”
“Treat the text AI made as my own thinking”
This way of using it is easy in the short term.
However, it is dangerous in the long term.
Because little remains within you.
By contrast, people who grow using AI use it like this:
“Check whether this way of thinking is accurate”
“How can I make this easier to understand?”
“Give me counterarguments too”
“Check the evidence”
“Organize my writing”
“Make it a structure that readers can understand”
“Tell me the weak points of this content”
“Separate facts from opinions”
“Explain it so a child can understand”
“Fix the parts that are overstated”
When you use it this way, AI is no longer just a ghostwriter; it becomes an assistant for thinking.
Look at the answer AI gives, and think for yourself.
Choose for yourself.
Revise for yourself.
Judge for yourself.
Turn it into your own words.
With this flow, the more you use AI, the more you grow.
If you use AI in side jobs, always include your own experience and judgment
What matters in AI side jobs is not simply putting out whatever AI creates as-is.
What matters is that while using AI, you still addyour own experience, your own perspective, and your own judgmentto it.
Because AI can create general text, but it does not have your own life experience.
What you have actually worried about.
What you have failed at.
What you have overcome.
What you have learned.
What you want to tell readers.
What you truly believe matters.
That is where the value lies.
AI can help organize that.
But the core part can only come from a human.
When writing a blog for a side job, posting on social media, or writing product descriptions, simply using AI’s text as-is tends to make the content feel thin somewhere.
By contrast, if you organize your own experiences and thoughts with AI, the quality of the writing improves.
In other words, in AI side jobs, what matters is noterasing yourself with AI, but making your own value more visible through AI.
How to use AI without increasing cognitive debt
To use AI without increasing cognitive debt, a few tricks are necessary.
First, think a little for yourself before asking AI.
Instead of asking AI everything from the start,
think first about
“What do I think?”
“What do I think the problem is?”
“What answers seem possible?”
“What is unclear to me?”
and then ask AI.
Just that alone helps prevent thoughtless dependence.
Next, do not use AI’s answers as-is.
After reading AI’s response,
“Is this really correct?”
“Does it match my thinking?”
“Could it mislead readers?”
“Is there evidence?”
“Is it overstated?”
needs to be checked.
It is also important to have AI present counterarguments.
If you only ask for answers that fit your own view, your perspective becomes narrow.
“What are the weak points of this idea?”
“What are the counterarguments?”
“If you were being more precise, how would you say it?”
“What would an expert revise?”
By asking like this, AI becomes someone you deepen your thinking with.
Finally, check whether you can explain what you made with AI in your own words.
If you publish something you cannot explain yourself, cognitive debt tends to grow.
On the other hand, if you can explain it in your own words, that content has entered into you.
In the coming era, it will not be “people who can use AI” but “people who can grow through AI” who are strong
I think more and more people will use AI from now on.
Writing, image creation, video creation, programming, research, document creation, and learning will all become things where using AI is normal.
That is why simply “being able to use AI” alone will no longer create much difference.What really makes a difference ispeople who can use AI to grow themselves
.
Use AI to expand your thinking ability.
Use AI to improve your ability to put things into words.
Use AI to strengthen your judgment.
Use AI to deepen your learning.
Use AI to turn your experience into value.
Use AI to improve side-job efficiency.
Use AI to expand the possibilities of income beyond your main job.
People who can use AI this way will become strong in the AI era.
On the other hand, people who leave everything to AI and do not think for themselves may be comfortable in the short term, but in the long term they may lose the ability to think.
Because behind convenience, cognitive debt keeps growing.
Not using AI itself may become a future risk
AI also has risks.
It can produce incorrect information.
It can produce biased information.
You also need to be careful about handling personal and confidential information.
You also need to pay attention to copyright and privacy issues.
So this is not a matter of using AI carelessly and without thought.
However, that does not mean that staying completely away from AI will be safe forever either, and that too may become a risk in the future.
Just as when smartphones spread, life and work became inconvenient for people who could not use them at all, in an era where AI spreads, not being able to use AI at all may become a disadvantage in work, side jobs, and learning.
This is not a threat; I think it is better to view it as a realistic trend.
People who can use AI become faster at organizing information.
They become faster at writing.
They become faster at learning.
They become faster at side-job tasks.
They get more rounds of trial and error.
They can shape their ideas more easily.
By contrast, people who cannot use AI may need much more time for the same work.That is why I feel that to survive the coming era,it is important to use AI, get used to AI, and grow yourself together with AI
.
Conclusion | AI is a training wheel and a companion for surviving the new era
In Japan today, rising prices and sluggish real wages are making more people uneasy about relying only on their main job.
In that context, a side job is not only a way to increase income, but also a way to develop your skills.
And if you do online side jobs, using AI has become very important.
However, AI is not a magic tool.
Using AI makes work faster.
But if you hand over all thinking to AI, cognitive debt may increase.Simply put, cognitive debt isthe weakening of your thinking and judgment abilities later on because you do not use your own thinking power
.That is why AI is not “the one to whom you hand over the answers,” buta training wheel and a companion for growing yourself
.
Don’t rely on AI alone; think together with AI.
Don’t depend on AI; use AI to train yourself.
Don’t erase yourself with AI; make your own value more visible through AI.
What the coming era requires is not merely using AI.
It is growing yourself through AI.
I think that is the essence of side jobs and learning in the AI era.
References / links
・Statistics Bureau of Japan, “Consumer Price Index (CPI) Nationwide Average for 2025”
The 2025 average overall index was announced as up 3.2% year-on-year, and the overall index excluding fresh food as up 3.1% year-on-year.
・Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Side Jobs / Concurrent Jobs”
Guidelines, pamphlets, leaflets, and Q&A materials related to promoting side jobs and concurrent jobs are published there.
・Cabinet Office, “Basic Plan for AI”
AI is positioned as an important technology related to improved efficiency and convenience, enhanced human creativity, and industrial competitiveness.
・Cabinet Office, “Integrated Innovation Strategy 2025”
It sets out securing and developing people with AI skills, and improving and promoting educational content to raise AI literacy.
・Microsoft Research / Carnegie Mellon University, “The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking””,”The relationship between the use of generative AI and critical thinking is analyzed among knowledge workers.
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