Are we too reliant on AI?
This article was written by one of our Young Reporters, a scheme that gives 14 to 18-year-old school students a chance to write for a real newspaper. Find out more at the Young Reporter website.
AI is a factor in our everyday lives. Accessed on your devices, used in workplaces, to come up with schemes and marketing ideas, or schoolwork to help with tough homework problems or to structure an essay or even advice. Most people can say that they have used AI at least once in their lives. It can be a thing of many wonders, but the question is do we truly use AI to improve our own abilities or have we become more dependent on than AI to do things for us?
The use of AI has been widely normalised in this modern era of widely adapting technology and online discovery. At times, it can be used to our advantage to increase productivity, brainstorm ideas (for work or a school project) and assist with research. You could say that it has no limits. It has so many excellent qualities that aid us in everyday life, but when does it stop being a mere helping hand and become indispensable to live without?
The overuse of AI can be the undoing of a person, when someone heavily relies on AI for solutions for their work or personal related issues then it can become somewhat more of a lifeline than a periodic resource. Independence in simple tasks such as thinking for yourself will severely decrease and social skills reduced. It is a place where individualism dies when used excessively. This is not to mention the misinformation it provides, how could we rely on a resource that isn’t always 100% truthful? What happens if you can’t access AI suddenly, what would you do? Unmonitored use of the internet and AI is dangerous without limitations and proof that information is completely credible. Creativity and personality can not be replicated by something inhuman and robotic.
However, one may argue than when observed carefully, AI can in fact be rather beneficial. Humans rely on devices such as calculators and vague answers from search engines. With AI detailed explanations are easily and quickly produced as well as helping to get difficult and strenuous tasks done more efficiently and in a structured way. But, despite the positives stated, have you ever used AI to answer a question just for it to be wrong? This is a frequent occurrence, but have you also ever acknowledged the authoritative tone and persuasiveness in the answer?
This is why we should find balance while using AI, to -instead of being overly dependant of it- view it as a support rather than a vice. To those using it regularly, you should check the credibility of information given with official or other sources. Parents should consider regulating the time your child spends using AI- without boundaries they know no limit.
What do you think? Ultimately all this article can do is try to persuade you to make the change a small change in your everyday life and take a break from the clutches of AI, the true choice is up to you. What will you pick?
