Is AI dulling our minds?
Summary
Harvard Gazette article featuring expert interviews on whether AI use erodes critical thinking, citing an MIT Media Lab study and offering perspectives on teaching, cognition, and responsible AI use.
Key quotes
It depends on how we engage with it: as a crutch or a tool for growth.
If a student uses AI to do the work for them, rather than to do the work with them, there’s not going to be much learning.
The key is to use AI to assist us in learning and in thinking critically … to support the development of intentional and conscientious AI literacy.
I am very worried about the effects of general-use LLMs on critical reasoning skills.
The work in neuroscience makes a compelling case that … we are “better than Bayesian” in many ways.
The piece gathers insights from faculty in education, philosophy, engineering, and public policy, discussing AI as a cognitive tool and its impact on learning and reasoning skills.