The rise of killer robots, as depicted in films like I, Robot and Terminator, highlights the potential horror of artificial intelligence, but are these films still futuristic?
Is there a chance AI will take over the world, spark a nuclear war, and cause the destruction of humans?
That has yet to happen, but AI has been a hot topic for years.
The Claim
AI tools like ChatGPT are in high demand. People use them for work and home, and in other ways, AI is beneficial. However, there has been a public outcry on social media over the takeover of AI, diminishing people’s intellectualism and writing creativity.
Many users on Tiktok like Bugluvr101 claimed AI gives people “neurotypical cooties” and two.headed.girl claimed AI is decomposing and frying people’s brains and comprehension skills.
Users, such as ihatemycurtians, have also said that people should not be in post-secondary education if they cannot go without AI.
It begs the question: Does AI ruin your intellectualism and writing ability?
What are the studies being done on AI?
A University of Toronto study investigated the impact of large language models (LLMs) on human creativity.
LLMs are advanced AI learning models that process and generate human-like text.
The study, involving over 1,100 participants, examined creativity from two different angles: divergent and convergent.
Divergent thinking involves creative brainstorming around a problem, while convergent thinking focuses on clear-cut solutions.
The study’s results showed that LLMs boost performance in the short term but may also hinder creative abilities in the long run.
Researchers also found that individuals in the study who used AI suggestions continued to think like AI, leading to a large population thinking alike, diminishing any form of creativity.
The study suggests that using LLMS should be carefully considered and that AI should be designed to enhance human cognitive skills rather than diminish them.
Another study by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University investigated 319 knowledge workers who frequently use GenAI on the perceived effort of thinking critically.
That research found that the more workers used AI, the less developed their critical thinking skills became.
“While AI can improve efficiency,” the study concluded, it may also reduce critical engagement, particularly in routine or lower-stakes tasks in which users simply rely on AI, raising concerns about long-term reliance and diminished independent problem-solving.”
The workers who used AI tools “produce a less diverse set of outcomes for the same task, compared to those without,” the researchers wrote.
The study suggests that using AI in continuation can deprive people of strengthening their cognitive abilities. It does not allow individuals to practice judgment when an expectation is needed, leaving many unprepared or withered.
With this massive innovative technological change, AI lacks the human ability to use creativity, as creativity is often considered a uniquely human trait. Researchers believe creativity is an essential tool for sustaining your well-being.
Writers’ perspective on AI
Morgan Mclean-Alexander, an English major at Mount Royal University (MRU), has mixed feelings about AI.
“It’s a little bit of a copout because I’m more of a creative person. So I like that creative process,” said Mclean-Alexander.
AI is a widely available and resourceful tool, and, in most cases, it is free, but McLean-Alexander feels that AI is not as helpful, and she prefers not to use it.
“I would much rather spend five minutes in like either stare at a blank page or just rewrite a sentence a few times or read it out loud,” said Mclean-Alexander.
McLean-Alexander believes that although AI can work faster than a human, it still does not possess any human characteristics. She believes that AI does not have the capabilities to replace humans, and it doesn’t always get things right, instead appealing to what the user wants to see.
“It tries to sound professional, it tries to appeal to everyone,” said Mclean-Alexander.
AI generates information from other sources and presents it to the user who requested it.
When it comes to the use of AI, Mclean-Alexander believes that AI does not hinder writing ability, as you can work with it and learn from it. She believes that AI should not be rejected, just used less and controlled more.
“So with AI,… it doesn’t hinder your intellectualism or creativity…it has an effect,” said Mclean-Alexander.
Educators perspective
Crystal Chokshi, an assistant professor at MRU, wrote her doctoral dissertation on the consequences of writing in the age of artificial intelligence.
In her research, she outlines three main consequences. The first consequence is that writers become caught up in an economic relationship with Big Tech, which benefits Big Tech.
She argues that companies encourage AI to generate more revenue. The second consequence is the environmental impact, and the third is social.
Chokshi says early training models for AI were trained on racist datasets, a point she echoes in her dissertation.
“I saw that there was a whole other side of technology that isn’t marketed to us at all,” said Chokshi.
AI has the potential to speed up the work completion process. However, Chokshi believes that it ultimately leads to more tasks getting assigned.
“When we work faster and get rid of some tasks faster, they’re just replaced with more work… AI doesn’t liberate us in any way. It doesn’t take anything off of our plate, which is often what Big Tech wants to sell us,” said Chokshi.
“We just keep going faster. But like toward what? Toward more work, toward more burnout?” said Chokshi.
Who benefits from AI?
Chokshi believes the risks of AI outweigh the benefits.
“I can’t think of legitimate …good use…” she said. “It’s a tool that’s developed by big tech to make more money that serves to sort of uphold white global north corporate privilege— at the expense of Global South workers who are behind the scenes of a lot of these tools, at the expense of our sanity as we try to do more and more,” said Chokshi.
She also questions who benefits from AI tools.
“What I want my students, especially, to be thinking about is when they’re using tools that purport to make their lives easier, whose lives are getting harder?” asked Chokshi.
The challenge for writers with AI is that many have to change the way they write in fear of being flagged for AI-generated content or plagiarism. “Students and professional writers I’ve spoken with recently are noticing that they have to change the way they write to not sound like AI,” said Chokshi.
“Some students especially grapple with, like, how do I sound more academic, so they go to AI to sort of help them do that rather than relying on their own powers of articulation and like being a bit more unique in how they see things,” said Chokshi.
Tech me to the future
As for the future of AI, Chokshi is concerned about its impact on creativity, especially in the future.
“If we continue on the trajectory that we’re currently on, we’re going to see less focus on writing instructions,” she said.
AI can only be trained on past datasets and cannot generate anything new. Whereas, humans can become creative.
“AI can only ever generate the past because it is trained on data from the past, and it can’t really conceptualize anything new,” she said.
As for hindering your writing ability, Chokshi says, “If we had more attention paid to our pressing social problems, it might not hinder our writing ability because we would not feel pressured all the time to go faster and do more things and do more work,” she said.
Does AI give you brain rot?
The claim that influencers are using AI to compromise comprehension, intellect, and writing ability is not misleading, and the claim they are making is mainly valid.
AI has some benefits, but it has many flaws. Evidence suggests that depending on AI is linked to reduced critical thinking skills, which are needed for creativity and intellect.
Many experts and studies indicate that AI should be used with careful consideration.
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