Why Many of Us Are Not Getting Smarter through AI
In the age of artificial intelligence, one might think that we are standing on the shoulders of digital giants, but paradoxically, we are not reaching higher levels of wisdom. It is as if we have been equipped with the most sophisticated ladders known to humanity, only to use them to climb into intellectual basements. Our ancestors, who had libraries more limited than our smartphones, pursued knowledge along the arduous paths of contemplation and discourse. In contrast, we, who have all of humanity’s knowledge at our fingertips, often only skim the surface of trivia and fleeting conversation.
The problem is not that AI is a crutch but that we use it to sprint before mastering the art of critical thinking and deep understanding. If Socrates were tweeting today, he might say, “I know that I know nothing, but does he who asks Chat GPT know more?”
We live in an age in which the quantity of information is confused with the quality of wisdom. It’s a curious variation of the Dunning-Kruger effect, amplified by silicon: Our digital expansiveness has inflated our sense of intellectual wealth while perhaps depleting our reserves of wisdom. The philosopher Nietzsche may have wisely observed that we are busy staring into our screens, only to find that the abyss looks back at us with amusement when we are in need.
AI promised us an intellectual boom, but we find ourselves in a paradox of knowledge overload and struggling with a drought of wisdom. It’s not that we can’t get more intelligent with AI; we’re just learning to dance to its tune before we understand the music of our thoughts.
Murat
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Deutsche Ausgabe: Jenseits des Algorithmus: Ein Versuch, den menschlichen Geist im Zeitalter der künstlichen Intelligenz zu würdigen (Wittgenstein Reloaded)
