And please excuse my language. I probably watch George Carlin videos a bit too much.

> For example, a 2018 analysis by researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Oregon found that average IQ scores in the U.S. began declining slightly after 1995, particularly in younger generations. This reversal mirrors findings in several European countries, including Norway, Denmark, and the UK.

https://nchstats.com/average-iq-by-state-in-us/

If that sounded silly, it was exactly what they said would happen, when that came to pass (I grew up in the last generation where they weren't allowed. I know lots of folks younger than me, that I think are smarter than I am).

But now they move around even more heavy stuff with machines.

I think something similar might happen to our brains. Maybe we won't be able to work ourselfs through every detail of a mathematical proof, of a software program, or a treatsie on philosophy. But we'll abe able to accomplish intellectual work that only really smart poeple could accomplish. I think this is what counts: outcome.

I'm infuriated to see these capable kids wasting their time working on slop a human never bothered to review before assigning and will probably never bother to grade.

AI is too late for the party. Mission already accomplished

I think the current mentality of "Make every process in life as easy and time-efficient as possible" is the problem.

AI is just a tool. What someone does with it is up to them. The current desire to not do anything, however, means people will abuse AI to make their lives more segregated from the work that enables them.

As technology progresses, people are less connected to the how and why of life. This leads to people not understanding how to do basic things. Nobody can do anything on their own and they have to pay money to someone for really basic stuff. People can hardly go grocery shopping anymore as it takes too much time. Peak capitalism?

Really just watch Idiocracy. AI isnt the problem; people's desire to do as little as possible is the problem.

Oh, and the extreme brain drain the west imposed on everyone else, from South Africa to China, resulting in no available "brains", let's say, in those countries, and in the rich countries only brains available that aren't invested in making westerners smart, along with a disdain among existing populations of professions that require brains.

As usual, it comes down to parenting. Bad parents will blame AI for their kids being stupid, just as they blame TikTok or whatever today.

<< Fundamental skills like mental arithmetic, memorising text, or reading a map could soon be obsolete as cognitive offloading becomes a normal way of working.

Calculator, books, gps -- the three have been trotted out each time and some ( what passed for books in ancient days ) decried by otherwise smart people, who simply could not fanthom a different way of solving an issue. Worse, they offered no reason for:

1. Why do I need to calculate everything in my head? 2. Why do I need to memorize every passage? 3. Why do I need to remember every step?

So kids, who saw an improvement simply ignored the old men.. and good thing too. Otherwise, I might not even have been able to read beowulf ( literally ).

<< it’s also the desire among people in positions of authority and influence

Is it? Recent news suggested that execs of various tech corps limit their kids passive screen time ( so no doom scrolling, no social media ).

<< able to retain concentration so that we can learn and distinguish between what is real and what is AI slop

True, but in a sense that has always been true. If so, what is the real reason for this 'collection of words'?

<< The danger here is the separation of process from “product”. In the eyes of the utilitarian tech-evangelist, the essay is simply a product, a sequence of words to be generated as quickly as possible.

And here is the issue. Author is concerned that their words are no longer going to be special; note, not completely unlike certain monks upon learning about printing press. How quaint.

<< But the process of writing is itself constitutive of understanding.Writing is thinking. It is the act of retrieving knowledge, wrestling with syntax, and organising logic that forges understanding.

Have you read some of the articles out there ( including this one )? There is no wrestling there. There might ( I am being charitable ) be some thinking, but if there is logic OR understanding, it is not beyond what is required for serving the owner of the writer. That is all there is to it.

<< When AI produces the final text, the student is the ventriloquist’s dummy, mouthing words that originated elsewhere.

Well, I will be darned. This individual is just taking words out of my mouth, because I was about to say all those talking ( sorry, writing ) heads are just parroting one another with the origin of the sound ( sorry again, word ) clearly not coming from them..

<< They possess the answer but lack the understanding of how it was derived

So.. we ban encyclopedias?

<< We are also witnessing a kind of cognitive laziness which some of our institutions are actively encouraging.

I can give him that. It does take effort not to rely on it.

<< It requires the uncomfortable sensation of not knowing

But... but.. the author knows.. he just told us all what to think...

<< float on a sea of algorithmic slop they have neither the will nor the wit to navigate.

And this is different from now how exactly? Scale? Kids who want to read will read. Kids who want to learn, will learn.

***

Honestly, I am hard pressed not to say this article is slop. Not even proper AI slop like we would expect today ( edit: because at least that is entertaining ). This is lazy human slop. High and mighty, but based on 'old man yells at the cloud' vibes.

AI is a superfast internet search.

Imagine if you had that growing up. Instant access to any information with a professorial level of teaching and you could ask any question to clear up any confusion?

Our kids are going to be smarter than we could even imagine because getting access to any information they can imagine is instant taught by a perfect tutor.