Human beings are moving towards a cognitive decline. Well, not entirely. But the collective cognitive capacity, which is our ability to apply our intelligence to real-world uses is on a downward trajectory. While research on this is still at preliminary levels, there is empirical evidence that shows that our capacity to reason, concentrate and solve problems peaked in the early 2010s and has been declining ever since. This claim was substantiated recently by a report published in the Financial Times, which indicated that people across age groups are having trouble concentrating and losing reasoning, problem-solving, and information-processing skills. So What's Driving Intelligence Decline?The mere presence of smartphones reduces our "available cognitive capacity." In a study published in 2017, they found that volunteers were significantly better able to retain and process information if their phone was in another room. Simply turning off or hiding the phone didn't work: people still suffered a "brain drain" when their device was nearby.Can Air Pollution Impact Cognition?It's already known that air pollution can have a "huge" negative effect on cognitive ability. In a groundbreaking study published in 2018, scientists at Yale University and Peking University analysed verbal and maths tests given to 20,000 people in China over four years, and compared them with air-quality data from the same period. They found that higher air-pollution levels significantly impeded cognitive performance – and the longer the exposure, the worse the damage."Polluted air can cause everyone to reduce their level of education by one year, which is huge," Xi Chen, one of the study authors, told The Guardian. He stressed that the pollution was "most likely to be the cause of the loss of intelligence, rather than simply being a correlation".ALSO READ: Can Consuming Turmeric Affect Your Mental Health? Is AI Affecting our IQ?Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionised world industries but with a "less discussed consequence" is its contribution to the decline of human cognitive skills. Earlier tools, such as calculators, simplified tasks but "did not erode our ability to think critically". The user still had to "understand the basics of the task at hand". But AI is already "reshaping the way we process information", often "diminishing our reliance on our own cognitive abilities". Effectively, it is "'thinking' for us".While several researchers have concluded that AI is negatively impacting intelligence in children, the effect is also being felt in workplaces. The National Institute of Health cautions against "AI-induced skill decay", a result of over-reliance on AI-based tools. As AI assistants become increasingly prevalent, the role AI might have on skill development needs to be considered, according to the report. While AI can enhance productivity, it also carries the risk of stifling human innovation. When employees turn to AI for routine tasks, they may miss out on opportunities to practice and refine their cognitive abilities, potentially leading to a mental atrophy that limits their capacity for independent thought.ALSO READ: Should You Get Your Wisdom Tooth Removed? Factors To Consider Before The Procedure