No longer believing the doctor? How AI is changing the attitude towards experts

When was the last time you left a meeting with a doctor or your children's teacher and immediately opened your phone to check if they were right? If you have done this, you are definitely not alone. We have all become accustomed to accepting professional advice almost blindly, but the entry of AI into our lives is completely changing the way we relate to experienced professionals, and giving us unprecedented confidence to question their words.

Meet the "Expertise Recession"

A comprehensive survey conducted by the company Use.AI among more than 15,000 adults reveals a fascinating phenomenon known as the "expertise recession" — a decline in our natural tendency to automatically agree with experts. According to the data, about 64% of people today feel much more confident in challenging professional advice from doctors and teachers after checking the information in a chatbot. AI is capable of processing a lot of information and presenting complex answers, which causes us to investigate everything ourselves.

This phenomenon is particularly prominent among young people. About 70% of those aged 18 to 34 feel comfortable presenting challenging questions to experts after consulting with AI, compared to only 49% among those aged 45 and over. And it is not just about doctors and teachers; the survey shows that people today tend to also challenge the statements of managers, journalists, and economists, who once enjoyed almost blind trust from the public.

Between self-confidence and real knowledge

This change directly affects the status of degrees and certificates. About 46% of the survey participants noted that the reputation of professional certificates is no longer what it used to be, and 53% use AI to verify information before they decide whether to agree with the expert. As they explain at the company, these tools allow us to ask much better questions, even without having the appropriate professional training to judge the answers.