I think it’s safe to say that we live in very interesting times. Over the last few years, we have seen a level of technological advance that has led to lot of questions. What will the future look like? Will artificial intelligence replace all jobs? Are we creating our own doom? Admittedly, I’m not the right person to tell you what the future will look like stemming from these advances. But I’m also not a nihilist; therefore, I’m not worried that we are seeing the beginning of the end to our human civilization. When I look at all the things that artificial intelligence can do, what worries me isn’t whether artificial intelligence will replace us, but rather whether we will allow for A.I. to become our crutch.
Throughout history, whenever there has been a major technological advance, some skill that we take for granted becomes weaker over time. Prior to the invention of the printing press, books were much more expensive and time-consuming to print. The consequence of that was that there were fewer people who were literate. However, while literacy rates were much lower, there were also many more people who were skillful in memorization. The skill of memorization was much more necessary because there was not the immediate access to certain pieces of information contained in a book. While the printing press helped to increase literacy rates, the access to books decreased the need to memorize long texts.
If we fast forward from the 1400’s to the 1990’s and 2000’s and look at the advent of computers, the internet, and smart phones, these have all improved our lives in some form, but not without tradeoffs. Having access to an endless supply of information online makes the discipline of research and study less vital. Auto-spell check makes the need to know how to spell words less vital. Being able to have all your friends’ contact information stored on a smartphone makes it unnecessary to memorize their numbers.
Does the loss of these skills make the technology that came about bad? Of course not. But that does not mean that the introduction of the new technology must result in the loss of a skill. The primary way in which all the innovations that we see around can harm us is if we allow it to become a crutch we lean on rather than a springboard to catapult us to unimagined heights. We do not need to say goodbye to a part of our brain just because technological advances say we don’t need to use that part anymore. Allowing innovation to turn off our brain is a choice, not an inevitability.
Those individuals who have been able to integrate new technology with their natural skills have been the ones who end up being the most successful. Those who allowed new technology to completely replace their natural skills have been the ones most harmed. If you want to be in a position where you are continuing to thrive despite all the innovation taking place, then keep your mind engaged, don’t allow any new technology to become a crutch, and use that tech as a catalyst for future success.
Simply put, take advantage of the technology; don’t let the technology take advantage of you.