Overdependence on AI is Under Dependence on Yourself
Overdependence on generative AI is one of many concerns of mine as artificial intelligence is becoming more prevalent in daily life. Obviously another major concern is the destructive nature of datacenters and their impact on the communities they are built within, but that would deserve an entire blog itself (or more) to get into. Constant use of generative AI creates almost a cause and effect chain reaction where one problem leads to the next.
As mentioned in the Forbes article (link listed below), the initial downside of AI use is that there is cognitive offloading which leads to skill erosion, then causing greater dependence on AI, which starts the cycle over again where one must use AI to fill in gaps in knowledge or thinking that were caused by AI. People are always developing their critical thinking skills, whether that be in educational settings, careers, or just daily life. Maybe someone who begins to use AI later in life won’t necessarily see the negative effects it could pose on their ability to critically think, but for those currently in a learning environment, from primary school to postgraduate education, their ability to function in society is fundamentally changed for the worse.
Using AI for simple tasks like helping write emails, giving a second opinion on grammar/phrasing/spellcheck, and more does create a more efficient work life, with little to no loss of skill in what you actually do as long as you check for accuracy. With this, the Forbes article does mention, “When professionals blindly trust AI outputs without verifying their accuracy, they risk introducing errors that can undermine cases, tarnish reputations and erode the trust placed in their expertise. Any profession requiring judgment and specialized knowledge can fall prey to the pitfalls of cognitive offloading, as a recent study demonstrates. Without adequate human oversight, AI tools may not just enhance workflows—they could compromise the very standards of excellence that experts are relied upon to uphold.” To combat this, tasks that train critical thinking where the expertise of the individual is constantly used is best for ensuring that overdependence does not occur.
Something the article fails to mention, though, is the effect on people in school. The problem with using AI in any form while still in a learning environment is that you never develop the basic skills that you need as you progress in a career. Even something as simple as spellcheck can harm you since you never challenge yourself to find mistakes in writing, instead cognitive offloading that to artificial intelligence. Even worse, though, is using AI to fully form ideas for you, complete assignments for you, and more. As mentioned in the second paragraph, the negative dependence of AI is a cyclical downspiral. Knowledge builds upon itself, so missing key units because you just use AI to do them for you only creates more problems in the future that you then solve using AI. Overall, though artificial intelligence may seem like the perfect tool when it comes to efficiency in completing assignments, in reality, it hacks away at your overall critical thinking and human expertise.
Link: https://uofi.box.com/s/sxcj6shggtj4ijflgdq8ky5jxzjt8m32
Hi Lucas! I agree with you that AI usage in young people is especially concerning compared to professional settings. It's important for young people to actively learn and engage in the learning process to train their thinking skills. I also think that much of the value in human produced work comes from its imperfections: the time and effort and thought the person put into creating it. AI-generated work could seem polished at a glance, but its perfection is quite hollow at its core.
ReplyDeleteHi Lucas! I completely agree with your argument that people are becoming overdependent on AI, especially in professional and school settings. Having artificial intelligence do assignments, write essays, and forming ideas is incredibly detrimental to the learning process. I also agree that, in the end, artificial intelligence harms critical thinking skills which causes a cycle of depending on AI leading even to less critical thinking skills, leading to more AI dependence.
ReplyDeleteHello Lucas! I agree that young people are becoming too dependent on artificial intelligence. In recent years, more and more young adults are using AI to handle simple tasks, like school assignments. As a society, we are loosing the ability to critically think and handle situations. Additionally, I agree that people believe AI always produces perfect answers, when in fact each answer is stripped of human thinking and emotion.
ReplyDeleteHi Lucas! I agree that AI can strip away the critical thinking skills that those currently in school would need to utilize throughout their life. AI-generated work can also have glaring inaccuracies, which could go unnoticed without critical thinking and fact checking by humans. Human expertise remains important, and reliance on AI is not conducive to improving critical thinking and actively learning.
ReplyDeleteHey Lucas! I strongly agree with the idea that AI seeping into education is a problem that will only get worse the longer it stays. I also believe that AI is taking away from students learning the building blocks of critical thinking in middle school/ high school, and the this situation will only get worse the more generations that go through school with AI so openly accessible. The dependence will only worsen when critical thinking skills have completely been erased, leaving humanities only option to be using AI. Great post!
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