Why Deep Work Is Declining as AI Use Rises: Observations and a Survey of College Students, Mostly in India

Deep work, meaning focused, distraction-free effort that pushes a person’s thinking to its limit, is central to real learning, yet the everyday use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be making it rarer among students. This paper combines personal observation with a short online survey of 37 college and diploma students, mostly in India, from more than five universities, conducted from 24 to 27 October 2026. Almost all respondents use AI regularly (30 of 37 daily), and use rose sharply from Class 10 to college. Forty-one per cent turn to AI before Google, 51% prefer Google’s AI Overview to reading websites, 54% use AI more during exams, and 51% feel AI has reduced their ability to think deeply on their own. Although the sample is small, self-selected and self-reported, and cannot show causation, the results point to a pattern of shortcut learning. The paper argues that AI should support deep work, not replace it, and calls for larger studies.