Is Artificial Intelligence Really Making Us Dumber? Let's find out.
Most technological advancements come with a trade-off. It gives you something, but in return, it takes away something else.
For example, social media made communication and networking easier, but what are the trade-offs? Addictive usage patterns, privacy concerns, misinformation, and a gradual decline in our ability to stay present without constantly seeking digital stimulation.
Historically, as technology solves one problem, it often creates a new variant of problems. This pattern has been evident in almost every major innovation we've seen. The automobile made transportation easier but introduced its own environmental and safety concerns. Smartphones gave us access to almost everything at our fingertips but also made distraction a permanent part of our lives.
Of course, these technologies have brought great benefits, and I'm not suggesting that the problems they create outweigh those benefits. My point is that technological progress is rarely without consequences, and sometimes, we don't fully understand those consequences until we have become deeply dependent on the technology.
In the case of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as much as it has improved productivity, accelerated research, and automated repetitive tasks, it has its own trade-offs. And what are they?
AI is slowly taking away the critical reasoning part of most people's thinking. People are submitting their intelligence on the altar of technology, increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to do the thinking they would otherwise have had to do themselves.
As a matter of fact, AI, which I believe should make people smarter, is ironically raising the possibility of an epidemic of intellectual laziness. And it's not exactly surprising to see this happening. We saw the advent of smartphones, which, despite their incredible capabilities, didn't necessarily make people smarter. Having a smart device has never automatically translated into having a smarter mind.
But maybe AI isn't even making people dumber. Maybe it's just making the asymmetry between people who know how to think critically and those who don't more evident.
I'm of the opinion that AI largely reflects your level of intelligence, knowledge, and ability to reason back at you. I mean, a seemingly unintelligent person might not automatically start producing exceptionally brilliant work just because they have access to AI.
To perform magic with AI, you most likely have to have a magician's mind.
Of course, AI can help someone learn, improve their thinking, and develop skills they didn't previously possess. But there's a difference between using AI to develop your intelligence and using it to compensate for the unwillingness to develop it in the first place.
Normally, thinking is hard, and most people would rather avoid it when they have the option. Critical thinking requires effort. It requires you to question what you already believe, consider perspectives you may disagree with, and sometimes sit with a problem long enough to arrive at an answer yourself.
But the advent of AI has made the avoidance of critical thinking even more prominent. People can now delegate almost every aspect of their thinking to a machine. And while there's absolutely nothing wrong with using technology to make life easier, I think we should be careful about what we are willing to outsource.
Because there's a difference between making a task easier and eliminating the very process through which you develop the ability to perform that task.
And to be clear, I'm not advocating against the use of AI. What???! That would be counterproductive. AI is an incredibly powerful tool, and I believe those who learn to use it effectively will have a significant advantage in the years ahead.
What I’m saying in essence is that technology should make us more capable, not more dependent. And we should be careful not to confuse the convenience of getting an answer with the competence of understanding it.
In a world where almost everyone can generate an answer with AI, the ability to think independently might just be what sets you apart.
My name is Juwon Vamous. I teach creatives the art, business, and visibility of creativity. I create and also write on interesting topics.
Stay Oranginal. 🍊
