I should’ve known better than to write this with a hangover, but here we are. Last night’s bourbon isn’t mixing well with this morning’s news about how AI is literally making us dumber. And the funny part? It took 666 test subjects to prove what any functioning alcoholic could’ve told you for free.
Let me break this down while I pour my fourth cup of coffee. Some researchers just published a study showing that people who rely heavily on AI tools have worse critical thinking skills than those who don’t. The kicker? It matters more than education. That’s right - your fancy PhD means jack shit compared to how much you let ChatGPT do your thinking for you.
They call it “cognitive offloading,” which is just fancy academic speak for “being too damn lazy to use your own brain.” It’s like having a designated driver for your thought process. Sure, you’ll get home safe, but eventually you’ll forget how to drive altogether.
You know what’s really keeping me up at night (besides this splitting headache)? We’re creating a generation of people who can’t think their way out of a paper bag without consulting their AI overlord first. It’s like we’re all becoming those people who can’t do basic math without their phones. Remember when we used to mock those folks? Now we’re all turning into them, just with fancier excuses.
The researchers tried to sugar-coat it, saying AI can be “beneficial when they complement critical thinking.” Right. And I’m beneficial to society when I’m sober. We all tell ourselves what we need to hear.
But here’s where it gets interesting, and I need another cigarette just thinking about it. The same issue of this newsletter talks about bioengineered arteries and how head trauma plus herpes might lead to Alzheimer’s. Isn’t it ironic? We’re smart enough to grow artificial blood vessels in a lab, but we’re willingly making ourselves dumber by outsourcing our thinking to machines.
Speaking of ironies, they’re testing these artificial arteries on 600 patients. Meanwhile, 666 people proved we’re all going to hell in an AI handbasket. I can’t make this stuff up, folks. Though I’m sure an AI could.
The real tragedy isn’t that we’re getting dumber - it’s that we’re paying for the privilege. Every new iPhone, every “smart” device, every AI-powered whatever is another nail in the coffin of human cognition. We’re not just drinking the Kool-Aid; we’re mainlining it.
And you want to know the real gut punch? While we’re all getting dumber, the people making these AI tools are getting richer. Seven founders at Anthropic just became billionaires. I bet they can still think for themselves, though. Funny how that works.
Look, I’m not saying we should go full Luddite. Hell, I’m typing this on a computer, not carving it into a stone tablet. But maybe - just maybe - we should think twice about letting machines do all our thinking for us. Although at this rate, we might soon lose the ability to think twice about anything.
The study authors suggest we need to find ways to “integrate AI tools in ways that enhance rather than hinder cognitive engagement.” I suggest we start by trying to remember what it was like to solve problems without asking a machine for help. But first, I need to ask Siri where I left my keys.
Time for another drink. At least when alcohol kills my brain cells, it has the decency to be honest about it.
Stay cynical, Henry Chinaski
P.S. If you’re reading this through an AI summary tool, you’ve already proved my point.
Source: The Prototype: Study Suggests AI Tools Decrease Critical Thinking Skills