Will AI make humans smarter or lazier?

The growth of artificial intelligence is causing many people to wonder how it will affect humans and their intelligence. The reason being, while artificial intelligence has the potential to improve the way we work and learn, there is also concern that over-reliance on artificial intelligence may lead to cognitive decline.

The fundamental question is if people will become "smarter" due to the assistance of artificial intelligence or "lazier" because of its ability to replace human thought and work.

How Artificial Intelligence helps humans to become smarter

AI can help humans grow smarter by enabling them to learn in ways that are better than if it had not been developed. With the availability of instant access to information, personal learning assistance, and multiple points of view, AI can enable users to learn about complex topics, evaluate data, and develop a deeper understanding of ideas. In addition, by automating routine tasks, AI creates cognitive space for users to focus on more advanced types of thought processes. These include creativity, critical thinking, and the ability to solve problems.

AI as a Catalyst for Learning and Curiosity

Artificial Intelligence (AI), in terms of its role within the classroom and beyond, acts like a catalyst to innovate education through developing students' curiosity and inspiring intellectual growth. Intelligence-based tutoring systems, which provide students with personalised feedback and adjusted levels of support, are designed to support self-directed learning. Students and professionals alike can make use of AI technology to discover new areas of knowledge. They can enhance their current understanding and determine what aspects of the subject they still have to learn in order to build upon their existing knowledge in a more efficient, thoughtful manner.

Potential detriments of reliance on Artificial Intelligence

The use of AI has the potential to create negative consequences when reliance on AI increases and users do not exercise critical thinking. With easy access to information that is usually required, users can become accustomed to the ease of obtaining answers. This can further lead to less motivation to think for themselves or undertake personal investigation of the information provided. If users accept the information provided by AI and do not critically evaluate the content they are learning, they are becoming passive learners. Over time, an individual who is highly dependable on AI for information will develop poor problem solving capabilities. Furthermore, there will be a decrease in their ability to recall information for long-term use and generate creative ideas.

How AI is encouraging surface learning without having deep insights

Although people can use AI to connect to information and share data rapidly; where the debate of speed and accuracy comes, the result can create an environment where they will not think about how the material could have been written. As an example, many people now use copy and paste to share written dialogues. They share the totality of the written product without any sense of complexity or deviation from how to use these words as they would in real life. However, they will not need to connect with other individuals to develop their own ideas by having a range of different perspectives. When there are no limitations on the ways that someone can connect with AI, it will eventually replace human thought completely. Subsequently, they will no longer develop their minds.

The role of Humanity's decisions and accountability

AI has the potential to either improve our cognitive abilities or make us less productive through our actions and interactions with it. AI is not intrinsically beneficial or harmful; it is the use of AI by people that determines its value to society. When individuals utilize machine intelligence to expand their knowledge base and confirm what they know through independent thought processes, they are sharpening their minds. If humans begin to accept AI's output as a replacement for thought, their cognitive prowess diminishes.

Conclusion

Whether humans get smarter or become lazier, it is not based on AI; rather it is based on humans. If we use AI wisely, we can make our thinking and creativity more powerful. If we use AI carelessly, we can lose some of our ability to think analytically. How we use artificial intelligence and what we find valuable that our brains will determine how intelligent we will be as humans in the future