By JB Lester
There’s been a lot of discussion lately about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the news and around the water cooler. Human intelligence in western countries has been diminishing according to recent studies due to an overload of screen time and reliance on technology. They call this the Reverse Flynn Effect, a barometer of human intelligence which was steadily climbing until technology made our lives easier without having to use our critical thinking for everyday problems. Now you add to this decline AI and the progress for human IQ is certainly bound to plateau or even plummet.
Now don’t get me wrong. I think there are some good applications for AI. I would think in the fields of science, medicine and research, AI could be a breakthrough. But what about education? If a student can let AI write a term paper, what is the measure of learning? I remember being careful not to take too many words verbatim when writing a report from information found in our family’s World Book Encyclopedias. I wouldn’t want to be caught plagiarizing anyone or any copyrighted source. Today it’s not a matter of taking someone’s thoughts word for word, it’s using AI to totally create a report, term paper, thesis, etc. It might be the best paper ever written, but it’s not truthfully the work of the student, writer or author.
I recently had Mohs surgery to remove basal cell cancer from the side of my nose. My doctor gave me an aftercare printout for wound rehab. I also used the internet to find out how my wound should be doing after one week, two weeks, etc. It was very helpful in expanding on what my doctor had given me. At the end of the internet info was an opportunity to ask AI a bit more about my wound care based on information I provided. The response from AI was both informative and personal. That is, AI told me I was doing well with aftercare and personally reassured me in a way I would not have imagined Artificial Intelligence could do. It wasn’t just cold hard medical facts. AI was consoling me with an incredible bedside manner. “That’s good to hear that your healing is going so well. You are right on track.” And this may or may not be the issue with AI. Will this ability to humanize Artificial Intelligence make it easier to become even more dependent on technology than we already are? I found myself feeling better after reading what AI had to tell me. And I didn’t have to bother my doctor or his staff.
There is much to yet discover about AI in the months and years to come. I know there are many who feel AI could take over the world and create chaos. While others are singing its praises as the next great leap for technology and research. Many want restrictions and control over the growing use of Artificial Intelligence. Perhaps it’s needed. I think the genie is out of the bottle, and every minute that genie is out, no matter how many wishes we get, AI is something we are all going to have to learn to live with — one IQ point at a time.