Stephen Downes

"Lately," writes Steve Hargadon, "I've noticed something unsettling: younger people I encounter - cashiers, students, and others - struggle to do relatively simple math in their heads." Naturally, the argument is extended to AI: "Today we're seeing a similar loss in intellectual capacity with the use of AI, specifically large language models (LLMs). A spate of recent articles has documented how the use of LLMs can have the effect of reducing the writing and thinking capacity of both students and adult workers." I don't think we've seen this reduction in the writing and thinking capacity, certainly not as a result of the use of AI; it simply hasn't been around long enough to have had that effect. The articles are projecting a loss of capacity, not reporting on one. But here's the thing. In my 20s, I worked in food services and retail, and at that time, I noticed people struggling to do simple math in their heads. That was in the 1970s, before calculators were available. I also notice people don't solve cryptograms in their heads, like I do. Because of writing, people don't think in their heads. Not until they really need to (or want to). So don't blame it on tech.