Is AI really making us dumb?

Let's ask Claude... Nah, just kidding!

Let's turn to experts instead. According to Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, AI has brought many risks to various societal mechanisms. But when it comes to 'making people dumber', the appearance of AI agents has accelerated the damage social media and digital world had already brought to us. Short attention span and inability to concentrate deeply on the subject were introduced to mankind before AI. Haidt highlights, though, that this acceleration shouldn't be underestimated. It hits children hardest, as most vulnerable group, but can also reach anyone, at any age.

Edie Raether ,a behavioural strategist, offers similar a view to Haidt regarding the impact of introducing children to the digital world and AI too early. 'iPad' as a babysitter really does a huge disservice as neuroplasticity at this age is very high, which means the brain is seriously affected.

Both experts point to the same effects: declining emotional intelligence and human interaction, rising anxiety, and shrinking creative thinking. Anyone surprised? Hardly. We've known this for ages, so of course AI would add to the pile, as long as we still haven't dealt with the root of the problem. The only difference is target which is now significantly bigger. Social media makes us interact less in real life. The internet makes us unable to sit with boredom, forever chasing dopamine. Artificial intelligence goes further and seduces us not to use our natural one.

Is there a solution? Yes, and there always has been, one that's simple and complex at once: staying human. But this time we should try harder.

So, addressing the question, if AI really makes us dumb the answer will always be yes,... and no. Yes, unless you use it wisely and don't allow children there until they learn how to learn and develop basics of critical thinking. As everyone should. We can't roll everything back to the 'good old days', to the reality without fear of a machine rise, but we can take responsibility for staying authentic human beings. There are five principles to reclaim human potential, Edie Raether outlines, consciousness, creativity, connection, challenge, and commitment.

Use AI for the manual, monotonous work, and save your brain for deep analysis and creativity. Clarify AI won't study for you - it will help with structure, translation, and pulling the relevant bits out of piles of information. Try it out and let us know what you think.

Want to learn more insights about AI from these experts? Watch them on YouTube (attached above) or read our summaries of their talks here and here.