Artificial Intelligence and the Intellectual Landscape: Implications for Future Generations

Prem Saran Tirumalai

In a recent light-hearted exchange with a colleague, I found myself pondering the profound impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on human cognition. As educators, we often discuss student evaluation practices, and my colleague raised an intriguing point: the increasing reliance on AI by students for their assignments. Since the advent of search engines, students have gravitated toward “Googling” topics assigned to them. However, a dichotomy emerges: while some diligently seek relevant content to understand their assignments, others opt for the first Google result regardless of its coherence with the task. Historically, books served as valuable resources, but AI has disrupted this landscape.

Now, AI content generators exacerbate the situation. Students toss their assignment topics at these tools, engaging in a “Copy + Paste” ritual, submitting content without genuine comprehension. Worse still, some students even derive notes directly from AI applications. As educators, we grapple with evaluating such submissions a task that oscillates between amusement and concern. For instance, my colleague encountered an assignment that began with the phrase “Certainly here is your…,” a telltale sign of an AI-generated response.

Beyond the classroom, I contemplate the broader implications. Could AI lead to a stratified society based on intellectual capacities? Imagine an upright pyramid representing the global populace. At its pinnacle comprising perhaps 1% or fewer reside the creators. These visionaries will transcend AI intervention, crafting tools and machines that shape our existence. Just below them, approximately 10%, will be the adept users the “smart” individuals who will harness these creations effectively. There could be toggling of individuals between these two groups. Some creators (the non-resilient ones) for a brief period or eventually may fallback to become just smart users and at the same time a consistent smart user (a resilient one) could, over a period of time mature to become a creator. ?And then, the remaining 89% the “dumb” lot will struggle either to utilize or misuse these innovations. Their IQs may vary, but their reliance on AI will render them passive.

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As we hurtle toward this AI-infused future, we must grapple with questions: What role will human cognition play? How will our intellectual capacities evolve? The pyramid looms, and its contours remain uncertain. Perhaps it’s time to ponder not just AI’s impact on our assignments but its profound implications for the human race itself.

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