Dan Koe Urges Long-Form Writing to Counter AI-Era Thinking Crisis

Generative AI has sharply lowered the cost of producing content, while short-video platforms including TikTok and Instagram compete for attention through rapid, continuous stimulation. Creator Dan Koe argues that this combination is fueling a broad crisis of “fake thinking,” in which people consume and repeat polished conclusions without doing the intellectual work needed to understand complex issues. The concern matters as AI-generated material expands across education, media and online discourse, potentially weakening independent judgment.

Koe has recently promoted long-form essay writing as a defense against that erosion, saying the process of researching, structuring arguments and revising ideas can rebuild concentration and deeper reasoning. His proposal is not a rejection of AI, but a call to preserve deliberate thought as automated content and social-media feeds multiply. With information increasingly abundant, Koe says “meaning” — the ability to connect knowledge, experience and values — will become the scarcest resource in an emerging “meaning economy.”