Regarding AI as an available tool is probably the better way to think of it. Just outsourcing it to do your work, means your boss can do the same and stop paying you. It seems to me, one of the most important skill sets moving forward will be the critical thinking necessary to know (or at least suspect) when AI is making stuff up or outright hallucinating.
Using AI to write is such an obvious way to not use one’s mental faculties. I think we don’t even need studies to prove the downside of outsourcing the messy parts of writing or for that matter, creating any piece of written or visual artifact. The sad reality is that businesses are making it mandatory for employees to use AI (or automate what shouldn’t be automated) even if they don’t wish to.
Considering the downward sloping trend in critical thought and upward sloping curve of “relative truths”, does it portend of a society moving into a soulless void at an ever accelerating pace? As with any precious commodity, this could enhance the value of those who can do the hard things with integrity as it becomes more rare. I hope that society will recognize this value in relation to the true cost of AI. The time is ripe for each of us to use our circles of influence to press this issue forward!
Governments need to acknowledge the urgency to regulate this space and as a society we can’t let future generations loose their ability to think critically. Your analogy of the robot lifting the weight at the gym for you is spot on , our brain is like a muscle we need to flex it to keep it in shape.
Regarding AI as an available tool is probably the better way to think of it. Just outsourcing it to do your work, means your boss can do the same and stop paying you. It seems to me, one of the most important skill sets moving forward will be the critical thinking necessary to know (or at least suspect) when AI is making stuff up or outright hallucinating.
Using AI to write is such an obvious way to not use one’s mental faculties. I think we don’t even need studies to prove the downside of outsourcing the messy parts of writing or for that matter, creating any piece of written or visual artifact. The sad reality is that businesses are making it mandatory for employees to use AI (or automate what shouldn’t be automated) even if they don’t wish to.
The cost of arbitrary signals like words and narratives is the collapse of literacy. AI is just a disproof of the initial conditions.
I suspect that the decline is down to a number of factors:
* IQ data has been declining prior to the rise of consumer LLMs https://archive.is/20251117185343/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/american-adult-lower-iq-scores-cognitive-decline-technology-flynn-effect.html#selection-1779.879-1807.216
* Decline in childhood and adult reading that has gone on over decades https://www.ft.com/content/583de986-a295-4697-a2fe-3c6b13c99145 & https://www.ft.com/content/d98c4695-9975-49e8-8232-f685008fb0df
* A wider decline in conscientiousness over the past decade with timing which doesn't match up with the rise of consumer LLMs https://www.ft.com/content/5cd77ef0-b546-4105-8946-36db3f84dc43
If you're someone who already has a lot of critical thinking built up though, AI makes you ultra-powerful
Considering the downward sloping trend in critical thought and upward sloping curve of “relative truths”, does it portend of a society moving into a soulless void at an ever accelerating pace? As with any precious commodity, this could enhance the value of those who can do the hard things with integrity as it becomes more rare. I hope that society will recognize this value in relation to the true cost of AI. The time is ripe for each of us to use our circles of influence to press this issue forward!
Governments need to acknowledge the urgency to regulate this space and as a society we can’t let future generations loose their ability to think critically. Your analogy of the robot lifting the weight at the gym for you is spot on , our brain is like a muscle we need to flex it to keep it in shape.
Socrates wasn’t all wrong. Plenty of people read and don’t understand what they read and go on to do great harm, thinking they are wise.
Language is a multimodal technology. Conversation is still an essential tool. Writing is also an essential tool. Reading is an essential tool.
Critical thinking: yes.
As someone who works in Corp Strategy on AI projects.......thank you.