Pilots' reliance on autopilot may offer workers clues on how to navigate AI in the workplace. aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Pilots have relied on autopilot for decades. Their experience could offer a lesson for workers increasingly relying on AI.

Steven Shaw, an assistant professor at King's College London and coauthor of a widely cited study on "cognitive surrender," drew a parallel between pilots' reliance on automation and workers outsourcing their thinking and delegating their work to AI .

"We've had autopilot in planes for a very, very long time," Shaw said, speaking at a recent OxGen Summit panel. "So they learn to fly manually first, and then they learn to use autopilot strategically."

Some federal aviation guidance encourages pilots to occasionally switch off autopilot to maintain their manual flying skills.

There is a long track record of this.…