I worry that, if your life depended on it, some of y’all might not make it. <wink> I tease, but I find myself increasingly concerned about what appears to be a growing lack of attention to detail, critical thinking, and even simple problem-solving skills. Whether it’s a symptom of our fast-paced world or something else entirely, it seems that attention spans are getting shorter while dependence on technology is growing stronger.
Artificial intelligence is the latest example. Don’t get me wrong—I use it, and I appreciate many of the ways it can save time and increase productivity. But I wonder whether we are beginning to rely on it a little too much. Today, AI can write our emails, answer our questions, summarize our reading, create our schedules, and even generate our thoughts into polished prose. In some cases, people are using AI to administer nearly every aspect of their lives.
What concerns me is not the technology itself, but what happens when we stop exercising the mental muscles that once performed those tasks. How do we recognize authenticity when anyone can ask AI to write something for them? How do we develop original thought if our first instinct is to seek an answer before we’ve spent even a few minutes thinking for ourselves? If convenience continually replaces effort, what becomes of the skills that effort once developed?
There are already signs that should give us pause. Student proficiency scores in several key subjects have declined in recent years. Many people rely entirely on spell-check software, trusting it to catch mistakes without ever reading the words closely themselves. Yet spell-check can only catch certain errors. It cannot replace careful attention. And, particulary for our youth, I have concerns that much homework is being AI-generated. “The future: Eight billion people and one giant shared homework answer!”
Years ago, many people believed the myth that humans use only 10 percent of their brains. Scientists have since debunked that idea, but it sparked an interesting thought: As society advanced, I assumed we would continue finding ways to challenge and expand our intellectual capacities. Instead, I sometimes wonder if we are moving in the opposite direction.
After several orthopedic surgeries over the years, I learned firsthand the truth behind the phrase, “Use it or lose it.” Muscles weaken when they are not exercised. Strength declines when it is not maintained. Could the same principle apply to the brain?
Perhaps our minds, like our bodies, require regular exercise to stay strong. Critical thinking, concentration, problem-solving and attention to detail are not automatic. They are skills that improve with use and diminish with neglect.
Technology should be a tool, not a substitute for thinking. The challenge for us all is making sure we continue to use the remarkable brains we have been given before convenience convinces us we no longer need to.
