Will AI Make Human Intelligence Redundant?

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We used to scavenge for food, run for our lives, and die with the slightest infections. Then we started making fire, hunting apex predators, growing the food we like at our whim and beating global pandemics. All of that was done through critical thinking.

Turns out, our latest shiny toy - generative AI - could rob us of that crucial ability.

It’s A No Brainer

Researchers at Carnegie Melon University and Microsoft Research carried out a study to investigate the impact of the use of generative AI on critical thinking. They surveyed 319 knowledge workers who provided 936 first-hand examples of using gen AI in their work tasks. Participants were asked how they use AI at work (and the types of prompts they use), how confident they were in AI’s abilities to successfully complete that task, how confident they were in assessing the AI-generated output, and how much confidence they had in themselves in completing the same task without the help of AI.

The results were sort of scary—overreliance on gen AI to do our thinking for us led to reduction in our cognitive abilities. Imagine you have a friend who’s really good at math. The more you rely on them for your math homework, the more you compromise your own mathematical abilities ➡ ️ and the less likely you are to double-check their work. The researchers call this phenomenon “cognitive offloading.”

Inversely, higher self-confidence was found associated with more critical thinking.

Read: The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers 

The study also found a shift in the nature of critical thinking - from information gathering to information verification (Is this AI-generated information correct?), response integration (How do I blend this with my work?), and task stewardship (How well-aligned is this with my task objectives?).

The study is not arguing for us to stop using gen AI, but rather encourages people to rely on critical thinking while using such tools, instead of passively accepting AI-generated information.

I personally like to use AI to either do things that I absolutely don’t like to do (eg: write formal emails to government officials, filling RTIs) or do things I simply cannot do (write codes and build apps).

I love to write and think, so AI can stay away from those activities.

How do you use AI?

We would love to hear from you on this. Do write to us at [email protected] and tell us how you use generative AI tools for personal or professional tasks.

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About Decode and Deepfake Watch

Deepfake Watch is an initiative by Decode, dedicated to keeping you abreast of the latest developments in AI and its potential for misuse. Our goal is to foster an informed community capable of challenging digital deceptions and advocating for a transparent digital environment.

We invite you to join the conversation, share your experiences, and contribute to the collective effort to maintain the integrity of our digital landscape. Together, we can build a future where technology amplifies truth, not obscures it.

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