The Cognition Index Research Report finds 62% favor human intuition over AI at work

The Cognition Index Research Report, launched by WSJ Intelligence with sponsorship from Philip Morris International, is the largest-scale research program ever conducted by WSJ Intelligence. It surveyed more than 2,500 business professionals across the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, South Africa, and Brazil, mapping sentiment from entry-level associates to the C-suite.

The report highlights a tension: professionals are optimistic about AI's role in decision-making, yet they continue to value human judgment, ethics, critical thinking, and empathy as essential. Moira Gilchrist, Chief Global Communications Officer at PMI, compares human cognition to a muscle—use it or lose it—and cautions against outsourcing thinking to technology. Carolyn Romano, Director of Research at WSJ Intelligence, notes that AI serves as an exceptional co-pilot, but long-term success relies on leaders who nurture human insight and balance automation with human expertise.

The findings indicate that while AI efficiency is valued, a significant verification deficit exists—only 25% strongly agree their organization has a clear process for fact-checking AI outputs. Whether companies prioritize building governed human-in-the-loop frameworks and protecting cognitive skills may determine how well they balance AI adoption with human expertise in the coming years.