The New Foolishness of Intelligent Future — Will Artificial Intelligence make us stupid?
I remain pessimistic about our future, sorry. By “our,” I don’t mean designers and developers specifically, but any professions that require THINKING.
I know, Artificial Intelligence (AI) doesn’t actually think; it processes information and executes in a rational and pragmatic manner based on a vast ocean of data. Well, that can be even more powerful than thinking.
Our long-awaited artificial intelligence is not as dreamlike as I imagined when watching The Jetsons. Not from the perspective of problem-solving capabilities, but rather the havoc it could wreak on the world.
Some say that AI will help us channel our true talents, so we no longer waste time on trivial or repetitive tasks. But you know how it goes… humans are lazy creatures. How about leaving everything to AI?
In The Jetsons, while the AI — the beloved Rosie — handled everyday chores to assist them, George worked on spacecraft projects using his own natural intelligence. What an idealistic world!
I envision our future in the opposite way: humans will let AI do the thinking for them. “Let the robot handle this difficult task of reasoning and researching while I wash the Friday dishes. Productivity!”
Not long ago, we needed to think to write, draw, create spreadsheets, define personas, and even create montages of the Pope wearing Balenciaga. But why use Photoshop when AI can materialize anything we desire?
“Create a solution for this problem!” will be a frequently used prompt by many design teams, I presume.
And through this simple shift in approach — placing AI at the center of our considerations and decisions — James Cameron’s script materializes in our real world. I believe the future AI will resemble more of AVA from Ex Machina than the sweet Rosie with almond-shaped and friendly eyes.
I don’t strictly follow Stephen Hawking when he predicts an AI that develops its own self-preservation instinct and rebels against humanity. But I believe in [our] human foolishness, which will do anything to prioritize artificiality over our own reason. Well, we already do that to some extent when we express opinions on LinkedIn using words created by ChatGPT, don’t we?
Like any titanic transformation (or revolution), it’s inevitable that some side will suffer. If during the Industrial Revolution, our arms were partially replaced by pistons and valves, the Intelligence Revolution we see on the horizon may exchange part of our thinking for supposedly intelligent algorithms.
It’s a controversial and obscure subject. You need a strong stomach to envision such a pessimistic future. But tell me honestly… there’s some truth in everything I’ve written, isn’t there?
Whether our AI will be Rosie or AVA, we’ll find out soon.
Meanwhile, let me think.
