Two years ago, if you showed someone an AI generated video, they'd be able to recognize that it's AI almost instantly. But now, with the quick uprising of AI and technology's constant evolution, it's getting progressively difficult to differentiate generative AI from reality. AI has developed at a rapid rate, more rapid than most technology of this generation. Currently, Ai has also become accessible to many. The GAO states that “As of early 2023, some emerging generative AI systems had reached more than 100 million users.” While AI can be a useful resource in certain situations with how easily accessible it has become, it also creates  a discussion about the intellectual repercussions that AI use can have on humanity.

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 One of the most convenient forms of AI is ChatGPT. it can be accessed with a simple google search, and it's easy to use. All you have to do is type in a prompt, and the AI spits out a personalized response based on both the prompt, and data collected from your previous use of the AI. ChatGPTs unprecedented responses often lead to it being used by students, to do things such as write essays, or break down math problems into simple terms. The concept of ChatGPT doesn't seem inherently negative, and actually seems helpful for busy scholars or students who are having a hard time grasping a specific concept. However, according to Time Magazine, researchers from MIT did a study on AI use in essay writing and found that “ChatGPT users had the lowest brain engagement and “consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.” Using AI to write essays reduces the amount of mental stimulation being produced from the task, and causes students to lose key information they'd typically gain while researching for the essay. Schoolwork and assignments are meant to challenge your brain, and  help you learn and grasp concepts, because humans mature through learning. And while there are ways to use AI to promote learning, it has no limits to how you can use it, which leads to the majority of students using it to get direct answers, no studying involved.

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And while AI may seem beneficial, as it is easy to use and can help people complete tasks more efficiently, AI promotes laziness in students, as they feel like they aren't obligated to do assignments and can have AI do it for them. The NBCI did a study on the impact artificial intelligence has on motivation, which led to the conclusion that  “The data analysis findings show that AI significantly impacts the loss of human decision-making and makes humans lazy.” AI promotes the idea of Anti-intellectualism, in an alarming way other forms of technology don't. It creates a world where people don't actually have to comprehend things in order to get tasks done- they can simply ask AI to do it for them, and it's much more convenient. Convenience isn't inherently a negative thing, but it's important for people to be capable of completing things and working hard without relying on a robot to do it for them, and ai is slowly taking away that capability.

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 AI is constantly progressing, making it easier and easier to use, and becoming more advanced. This could have serious repercussions on not only intellectualism, but also perception as it becomes harder to differentiate AI from reality. If humanity isn't careful, AI could be the downfall of learning, intellectualism and human creativity. Next time you use ai, think about a way to use it beneficially, rather than lazily.

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Sources; NBCI - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37325188/
Time; https://time.com/7295195/ai-chatgpt-google-learning-school/
GAO; https://www.gao.gov/blog/artificial-intelligences-use-and-rapid-growth-highlight-its-possibilities-and-perils