AI will make most people stupid

Sounds extreme, but it isn’t - and it will happen in many ways.

First, for most people, algorithms will figure out your preferences.

Religion, politics, biases, preferences.

Then the algorithms will spit a lot of that right back at you in your feed.

Many apps have a feed by design; “Hooked” by Nir Eyal shows how this can be addictive - by design.

Pretty much, you consume a lot of information - and think it is knowledge.

But it is really just you living in an echo chamber.

Soon, you will believe everyone hates the people you hate

And also think the only way to structure punchy sentences is to say

“It’s not about x. It is about y”.

Like a non-human megatron.

In addition, people will start to develop a “reflex of dependency”.

AI will allow answers come so quickly, that the mental muscle required to structure and execute weakens.

For example, in meetings, you get used to not taking notes.

There’s an AI for that.

Then not checking details of meeting notes.

Cos the AI should do that.

Then not listening in meetings.

Cos the AI is recording.

Then not remembering key details.

Because you can create an AI project that links the different meetings and artefacts to preserve context for RAG retrieval.

Then not…

You see where this is going?

At some point, you’re struggling to remember details because you’re used to “quickly checking” from your AI “assistant”.

When you learn a skill, are listening intently, solving a puzzle, myelin forms in the brain.

It strengthens with repetition.
And PHYSICAL changes and wrinkles form in the brain as different skills are learnt.

But with AI, your brain may just smoothen out.

Atrophied.

Weak.

Which is ironic considering the human brain has been shrinking for a while now.

Facts.

In addition, with AI, you often do not realize you are getting SLOWER.

Yup.

One, you have often have too many options.

Many options lead to analysis paralysis.

A study found that presenting 2 options to people compared to about 5 - 7 options led to more sales. More options means more analysing - and more paralysis.

But that’s not all.

At an enterprise level, we often do not factor in the time cleaning up the junk from AI.

And the impact on the throughput time from decision to finished output.

“Our time to work on the report went from 1 hour to 20 minutes!” Yay!
Or maybe not.

Actually, the first draft got done in 20 minutes.

You spent the next 30 minutes reviewing the work.

But because your brain was so used to being dependent on AI, you didn’t do it with as much rigor.

So it was sent back to you to re-review because certain numbers were not jiving.

And then you had to spend an additional 30 minutes cleaning it up.

Total time, 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Not counting the days from when it was submitted and returned back to you.

Whether it is human on the loop or human in the loop, there is that time factor to think about.

And the trade off against the impact of wrong outputs or actions.

But it’s not all doom and gloom.

Here’s how to fix this - and this is not about NOT using AI.

1️⃣

CREATE something, and don’t just consume information and call it “learning”. BUILD a RAG tool. DEPLOY to Vercel. Build an n8n automation. Run an ad campaign. Create a short movie with consistent characters. That will teach you more than scrolling through Linkedin or Youtube. This way you actually KNOW stuff and not just ABOUT stuff. I train people on how to transition into project management - and I often have to talk about the “illusion of knowledge”. It’s that stinky smell that comes through during interviews when it is evident that the answers being provided are theoretical and not based on any real-world execution. People who DO can smell this a mile off!

2️⃣

Unplug from AI (and social media) from time to time - and if you will be on social media, follow people you detest. Yes, that gives you a more balanced view of the world so you don’t think silly things like Africa is a country or that that every English person speaks with a posh accent.

3️⃣

Go outside. This one is really a note to self. I realized that I was playing less and less piano or practicing martial arts.  I’d plant my behind at my desk to “quickly prep for the day” at about 6.30am or 8am - and magically, it would be noon. I’d look up in shock, grab a sip of cold coffee my daughter had provided to quickly finish a few things, and then it would be time to pick up my son at 5pm. And there would be lots of stuff to do. But this is how people die early. I am not being metaphorical.

4️⃣ 

Prioritize brutally. Let’s be honest; some “urgent” meetings are nonsense. And you don’t have to take meetings at your desk. Go for a walk as you do the meeting. If every day is busy, something is very wrong with how you work or with your organizational culture. It is abnormal and not sustainable. And if you buy into the nonsense that corporate life is meant to be a fire drill on a daily basis, you are also a part of the problem. Focus on what moves the needle - and what gives the greatest returns. And the more you do that, the more you will be able to GO OUTSIDE.

5️⃣ 

 Work with your hands on physical things. Do some gardening. Play guitars. Write with a pencil on paper. Learn to tie knots. Practice Tai chi. The rate of change with AI will mean that virtually ALL tasks that can be carried out electronically or with a robot will soon be taken over. NOBODY knows what that world will look like or what a sustainable economic model will be like at that time.

If you maximize profits and output with no employees and no one having the power to purchase, who buys your products?

If you give universal basic income to everyone, will that drive up inflation and the cost of goods?

If the cost of production for everything (apart from power itself) is low, what does it mean to be “rich”?

If we figure out a dyson sphere and energy is dirt cheap, would it mean there is one class - or what would that even look like?

I don’t know.

I do know that there are certain things that makes us thrive as human. We need clean air, clean food, nature, work for our muscles and our minds. Those are fundamental and will never change.

I didn’t mean for this to be so long, but there you have it.

And as you can tell, this was not written by AI.

So Happy Sunday - and God bless you!

John

P.S: If you got to the end of this article and saw this, you still have a strong mind and are unstoppable.

Don't doubt yourself.

Ever!