Recently, a debate trended online: could a gorilla win a fight against 100 healthy men unarmed? Netizens were split into two camps, and it was fascinating to see how many mathematical models and physics theories were brought into the discussion. Some celebrities and even Encyclopaedia Britannica weighed in.
One argument, however, struck me: 100 men centuries ago would defeat the gorilla, whereas 100 modern men might not. This is based on the notion that industrialisation and modern comforts have eroded our physical prowess.
But perhaps it is not only physical strength that we have lost. Our capacity for memorisation, our emotional bond with nature, and our sense of creativity and craftsmanship may also have diminished, thanks to new technologies. Yet, there is something even more crucial at risk, too: our critical thinking, the very faculty that drives human civilisation forward.
A recent study by scientists at MIT suggests this could indeed be the case. They found that using ChatGPT to help write essays can lead to what they call “cognitive debt” and a likely decline in learning skills. Their study tracked 54 participants over a four-month period, dividing them into three groups: one used large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, another relied on traditional web searches, and a third worked entirely without digital tools.
The researchers measured cognitive engagement by monitoring brain electrical activity and analysing the essays linguistically. One key takeaway from the study was that participants who used AI exhibited significantly lower cognitive engagement compared to the other groups. None of the subjects in the AI group could quote an entire sentence from their essay.
Of course, some caution against interpreting these findings in alarmist terms. Some critics have questioned the study’s methodology, as well as arguing that creativity should not be narrowly tied to pen and paper. Still, few would deny that AI is extremely reshaping our cognitive habits, a topic of serious concern in academia.
The past decade gave us the phrase “let’s Google it,” but this provided a fair ground to compare and sift through diverse perspectives. LLMs, however, do not function in quite the same way. On platforms like X, serious debates have begun to degrade into quick prompts to AI: “@Grok, what do you think?” In classrooms and social gatherings, it goes as “Let’s ask ChatGPT.”
No one disputes that AI platforms excel at gathering facts or correcting our mistakes, although they can also mislead. They often present information in a friendly, affirming manner that can subtly manipulate. Perhaps more troubling is their tendency toward a monotone approach, which stifles intellectual diversity.
We have already witnessed how Web 2.0 has created an unprecedented generational divide between Gen Z and Gen X, even when they come from similar cultural backgrounds, differences in values, health habits, and work styles now separate them. Now, with Silicon Valley’s LLMs, we may be raising a generation ready to outsource its very thinking.
Over time, algorithms have already stripped us of meaningful choice in what we buy and where we shop. Where we travel and who we befriend. Now, generative AI threatens to do the same with how we think and learn.
Not long ago, the fear was that robots would take our jobs. Today, the fear is that they might take our minds. There is growing concern that a heavy reliance on AI could trigger a widespread “dumbing down,” especially if students turn to these tools too early, thereby undermining their development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
An article in Al Jazeera noted that many psychologists share deep worries about AI’s impact on the human mind, warning that it could breed cognitive laziness.
So what happens when humanity becomes too lazy to think critically, just as we have already lost much of our physical strength over the last centuries? Does it even matter, so long as life is easier and faster? Or, as some argue, might creativity itself evolve within the use of AI?
From both a Muslim ethical perspective and as a social scientist, I would argue that an overreliance on AI puts us on the brink of losing our very sense of self. When our perspectives no longer seem to matter, or when we feel compelled to validate them through machines, we risk trading away our most central human faculty.
The concept of ʿaql, the intellect that sets humans apart from other creatures, is a trust we are commanded to preserve. Safeguarding the mind is one of the core objectives (maqāṣid) of Islamic law. Yet today, it seems machines are encroaching on it.
From a social science standpoint, a world of low cognition, facilitated by AI, is a zombie world, easily controlled, lacking depth, and bereft of true purpose.
Of course, AI is here to stay. Whether this makes our generation fortunate or unlucky remains to be seen. Much responsibility now falls to educators and other stakeholders. We must design learning environments where students defend their writing, even when assisted by AI. We must also teach them to recognise and overcome the challenges posed by AI usage. Above all, there is a pressing need for sustained, policy-oriented research into the impacts of AI on human cognition.
*The views expressed in this content are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of İdrakpost.
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