Did you know that using ChatGPT significantly decreases brain activity? According to a study by MIT, they conducted an experiment where 3 groups of people were told to write an essay. Group 1 could use Language Learning Models (AI), or LLMs, Group 2 had open internet access to any source, not just AI, and Group 3 could only use their brain. The results showed that the LLM users displayed the weakest connectivity, while the brain-only writers had the strongest and most distributed networks.
Artificial Intelligence is Taking Away Our Own.
That being said, I am afraid it really is “that deep” when it comes to the harmful effects of AI, and this is only looking at the human aspect of its consequences, as the environmental and socioeconomic effects are an entirely different story. Every time I hear a peer say anything along the lines of “let me just ask Chat GPT” I exhibit a visceral reaction against it. To make one thing clear, Chat GPT is– and I cannot stress this enough– not a search engine. We have been taught in schools for so long to scout for reliable resources, only for students to amount to this? Something definitely went wrong here, and it is not the fault of our educators. Teachers these days are fighting for their lives to get their students to learn, but not only do they not have the attention spans, they genuinely know little else but their dependence on AI. On the other hand, students who don’t use AI have to instead learn how to avoid getting flagged by AI checkers run by… AI. You would think more people would find the error in that. It doesn’t take much to realize that needing to dumb yourself or your writing down so you don’t “sound like AI” is incredibly dehumanizing– especially when AI is trained on the work of humans. Without their consent.
Did Wall-E Teach us Nothing?
It seems more and more apparent with each passing day that the future and helplessness of humans depicted in Disney Pixar’s Wall-E is becoming a reality. Robots doing everything for us. Not wanting to lift a finger ourselves. As a result, teachers are quitting their jobs after years of service because they simply cannot deal with this new generation. Education is seeing new lows in terms of standardized scores, especially in literacy. “Why do it when AI can do it for you?” They ask (a real question a friend asked me, by the way). What do you mean why? Thinking may not be exclusively human, but it sure is part of who and what we are. “I think, therefore I am”, was that not the saying? It is so terrifying and disheartening to watch the future you dreamed of and have been working towards your whole life, crumbling before your very eyes because you can’t stop the people around you from becoming mindless drones. AI is a parasite. It is an invasive species that humans built from scratch. And we are suffering the consequences.