Humans have barely scratched the surface of how artificial intelligence is changing the world. From stunning medical breakthroughs to the future of work to the formation of thoughts, AI's influence is changing the human experience.
That's what author and tech commentator Bob Maginnis told the Today's Issues crew of AFN.
“It operates at a massive scale, it personalizes the influence that it delivers, and it quietly substitutes for judgment. It's something that is so persuasive in our culture that it is having a major impact on who we might become,” says Maginnis.
Researchers are finding that heavy reliance on AI can undermine independent thinking and critical processing. An AI dependence study, which collected data from 580 Chinese university students, examines how AI effects critical thinking.
“Results indicated that greater AI dependence was associated with lower levels of critical thinking, with cognitive fatigue partially mediating this relationship,” said the study.
Another AI study regarding childhood education states that children risk undermining metacognition and critical thinking if they become overly reliant on automated solutions.
“It doesn't just change how information moves, rather it changes how people are formed in their thinking. It tells us, to a certain degree, what to think, what to value, and what to trust,” states Maginnis.
Maginnis says that AI is a very real threat to our future.
“It's not neutral. It is going to form us into something that it wants us to be, and those that are writing the algorithms, they're going to be dictating what this culture is going to become,” says Maginnis.
He says that there is a discernment test that people need to apply to their interactions with artificial intelligence, and he's calling on pastors to take the lead in training us, since faith should direct formation.
“Does using this preserve human dignity? Does it serve truth or convenience? Does it encourage virtue or dependency? Does it assist or replace judgment? Does responsibility remain with the human?” asks Maginnis.
