Off the Record: A lack of curiosity killed the cat
When looking for an answer, is the universal response not “just Google it”?Well, you may have noticed a rewiring of our curiosity instincts, with some now ditching the well-loved search engine for AI.In a world that worships productivity, AI is hailed by many as our saviour — increasingly automating boring and monotonous daily tasks, while humans reap the productivity gains.The internet era, ushered in by the likes of Google, expanded the breadth of information we can access at any given time. Like its predecessor, AI has revealed similar concerns around complacency and cognitive decline. The Google effect, or digital amnesia, is a tendency to forget information that is easily accessible on the internet. A 2011 study highlighted how this altered the way people process information: when we no longer use our memory to its fullest extent our neural pathways atrophy, resulting in shortening memory, reduced concentration and declining analytical skills. It could be seen as an erosion of critical thinking.The growing preference for ChatGPT as a search engine is taking this a step further. Instead of using these tools to free up space for thinking, some are now using it as a substitute.If you find that after less than a minute of mental effort your subconscious is nagging you to “just ask ChatGPT”, you may be letting go of your cognitive wheel and becoming a passenger to the “thoughts” of your LLM of choice.A recent MIT study, Your brain on ChatGPT, reported that excessive reliance on AI-driven solutions may contribute to cognitive atrophy like that seen in the Google effect. But the way people use generative AI is fundamentally different to the way they consume the internet. They aren’t looking up the definition of a word to use in an essay and then immediately forgetting it. They are outsourcing their thinking completely.Sure, cognitive outsourcing has its place. I’m from the generation that pretty much can’t get anywhere without a GPS. And I definitely don’t remember anyone’s phone number.But deep thinking was never meant to be efficient; it is a messy and often tedious process. That is what makes it so effective. When we problem solve, our brains traipse through complex challenges, wrestle with opposing sides, sift through possible outcomes and deduce the best course of action.Thinking is part of what makes us human. By removing this human element and streamlining this process with AI, we risk turning into passive consumers rather than active creators.Think of how Waymo, a self-driving car service in the US, is wreaking havoc for commuters.The AI can’t navigate basic — I mean, complex — scenarios like construction zones or how to not hit a cat crossing the street. When faced with such difficult manoeuvres, the cars end up blocking traffic or causing severe emotional distress for pet owners.From Google Maps to inbuilt assisted parking, anyone who drives a car these days outsources some of their thinking. I’m all for the added safety assists in my car, but I am far more comfortable in the driver’s seat than in the backseat of a driverless car.Though I do love my GPS, if the internet imploded today, I like to think I have enough critical thinking skills to read a map and follow street signs. And if world leaders decided to abolish AI tomorrow, I’d maybe be a little annoyed that I had to actually think about how to spell bureaucrat, but I’d get over it.Maybe it’s time we take back control of the wheel and get our brains to do the driving.I’m not suggesting that you refuse to interact with any form of AI and go off the grid. All that will do is isolate you from the future of the modern world. I am suggesting that if you’re struggling to make a decision or come up with an idea, try to remember you don’t need to ask the omniscient being in your computer to do it for you.And watch out for cats when you’re driving.Off the Record is The Australian Mining Review’s weekly column.
