In recent years we have seen vast evolution in the field of science and technology contributing to boosting productivity in various fields. One of the most emerging contributions in recent years which has transformed various aspects of our lives is access to artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence has made some remarkable strides in recent years. We all know every invention that has been made so far has contributed the mankind and has come along with its detrimental side. While AI has offered significant advantages and improvements in various fields, it is not possible without its downsides. From older to younger, a large number of people can be seen greatly relying on AI. This is because it requires less effort and thinking to do a task with the use of artificial intelligence, tasks like writing an email or application to anyone or writing a university assignment can be done in a few minutes. Artificial intelligence is developing so fast that you can ask or take suggestions on any task or topic like a person taking suggestions from his colleagues and friends.
This fast-paced development has also come with some serious negative repercussions that greatly affect an individual’s credibility. Gaining prominence in AI technology development like Deep fakes (the manipulation of facial appearance through deep generative methods) is currently a big challenge for developing societies and a serious threat to many countries national security. These deep fakes are widely used for spreading false news, production of child abuse videos, celebrity pornography, hoaxes, financial frauds, and much more. But the question arises of how it is leading towards emotional detachment and loss of cognitive abilities in the people.
Many people nowadays have become desensitized to inauthenticity, and this can largely be attributed to the prevalence of AI-generated content. This leads to less emotionally active responses among people by exposing them to manipulative and simulated emotions generated by AI. AI is also becoming a cause of reducing human interaction by creating superficial relationships through chatbots and virtual friends. Various surveys have shown that Generation Z is the age group that uses AI the most. The reason behind this trend is decreased cognitive load. This means that AI can automate any task, making life more convenient, and reducing cognitive load on individuals which may result in a decline in their ability to engage in complex problem-solving. For example, If I had to wish a birthday to loved one I have to put a prompt into Chat GPT (An AI platform) to write me a birthday wish and here you go in seconds you will get a birthday wish that you can send it your loved one without doing any effort, without putting your pure emotions into it. Another example is that if you want to write an essay or any research article, again you don’t have to use or bother your mental capabilities to write it. I simply put a prompt for a write-up of the required topic and in a few minutes I can get a whole essay or article without investing any effort or time. These are a couple of examples through which we can analyze how it is affecting young intellects.
The extreme use and high dependency on artificial intelligence are leading to emotional detachment and increasing the depreciation of critical thinking among people. Excessively relying on AI for decision-making and suggestions reduces face-to-face real human interaction which causes lower self-esteem and becomes a root cause for diminishing critical thinking and emotional engagement. Relying too much on AI can lead to blindly trusting its suggestions without critical thinking.
However, I am not against the use of AI. It is crucial to make people aware of the balanced use of artificial intelligence and not overly rely on different AI tools. We need to promote digital literacy to encourage people to balance the use of AI and its limitations. People should only advocate ethical AI developments to provide fair, transparent, and unbiased information. Fostering the concept of skepticism can boost the ability to scrutinize individuals. People should be exposed to diverse information sources which will help in the verification and authentication of certain pieces of information. The promotion of several measures like those mentioned above will play a vital role in the awareness and counteract the perceived decline in critical thinking and emotional detachment. Additionally, it is not just the role of people but also the role of AI developers and policymakers to prioritize ethical considerations with such a design that enhances human emotional connections rather than just replacing them.