Page 2 - TalkTalk
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AI & COGNITION
A POTENTIAL RISK
“IS AI LESS THAN OUR INTELLIGENCE?”
SPIKE JONZE However, what are the consequences of letting our
reasoning and thinking skills at the hands of an AI
machine? First, it can make us more vulnerable to
manipulation and exploitation. When people are not
able to think for themselves, they are more likely to fall
for scams or be misled by others. Second, cognitive
overdependence can hinder our ability to learn and
grow. When people do not challenge themselves to
think critically and solve problems, they do not develop
the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing
world. And what about mental disorders? Could AI be
potentially responsible for the unprecedented increase
Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most
transformative technologies of our time. It is already in Alzheimrer’s disease or even dementia? Maybe. The
having a major impact on our lives, and its influence is domination of AI shall not be portrayed through violent
only expected to grow in the years to come. While AI images of war but rather a tool which hinders critical
has the potential to greatly benefit humanity, there is reasoning and thinking.
also a risk of cognitive overdependence on this
technology. So, there are a number of things that we can do to
mitigate the risk of cognitive overdependence on AI.
“Cognitive overdependence” is a state in which people First, it is important to be aware of the potential risks of
become so reliant on AI that they lose the ability to it. We need to be mindful of how we use AI and avoid
think for themselves. This can happen when AI is used relying on it for tasks that we should be doing ourselves.
to perform tasks that we would otherwise do Second, we need to continue to develop our own
ourselves, such as making decisions, solving problems, cognitive skills. This includes reading, writing, thinking
and navigating their way through the world. critically, and solving problems. Finally, we need to
teach our children about the importance of cognitive
The simplicity in the use of an AI platform is the major independence and how to use AI responsibly. The new
culprit of our ever-increasing preference to it; just type generation is currently growing up with AI, so using it
the instructions of what you want to do and the result within reason is key.
will be there in a few seconds. Apart from being time-
efficient, it also eliminates another thing: the need to AI certainly is a powerful tool that has the potential to
think. Not that using our brain is detrimental; but it greatly benefit humanity. However, we are responsible
certainly takes some time. And in today’s fast-paced for ourselves, and we shall never relinquish power of the
world, time is money. greatest tool that helped us evolve: our almighty brain.
