The Slippery Slope of AI Dependence
AI has become the ultimate convenience tool. It organises our schedules, curates our shopping lists, and even writes our emails for us. AI is doing more than just assisting us, it is thinking for us. But in a world where technology takes over mundane tasks, a pressing question emerges: what happens to us when we no longer need to think critically, make decisions, or even engage in basic problem-solving? Are we truly using AI to elevate ourselves, or are we becoming complacent, like well-kept zoo animals, comfortable, fed, but ultimately stagnant?
AI’s promise has always been to enhance human capabilities, freeing us from repetitive and time-consuming tasks. But when essential human traits like thinking and decision making are slowly outsourced to AI tools, the consequences extend beyond laziness; they redefine the very fabric of our society.
When we think about the implications of AI, we are often drawn to examples of school students using AI to do their homework. While we need to encourage students to harness AI-powered tools, there is the danger of just copy-pasting through an education system that rewards efficiency over effort. The more we lean on AI, the less we challenge ourselves to think critically, and in time, we risk bringing up a generation that lacks problem-solving skills and independent thought.
AI’s ability to generate art, music, and literature democratises creativity. It also dilutes the value of human ingenuity. Will future generations still strive to be poets, musicians, or innovators when they can simply instruct an algorithm to create on their behalf?
And this is what I worry about the most - beyond personal habits, AI’s creeping influence is shaping public policy and governance. Today, AI drafts legal documents, suggests legislative policies, and even influences economic decisions. The idea of AI-driven policymaking may seem efficient, but when decisions that shape our societies are no longer crafted by human deliberation but by algorithms trained on historical data, we risk reinforcing biases, losing human empathy, and surrendering control to a super intelligence that prioritizes optimization over morality.
On a broader level, AI threatens our very sense of identity. As we delegate thinking, writing, and decision-making to machines, we risk losing what makes us human, our will to think, to learn, and to make mistakes. Societies have long been defined by their intellectual pursuits, but what happens when intellectual labour is no longer a requirement? Do we evolve into a species of passive consumers, content with AI-generated entertainment and algorithmically curated lives?
AI is not inherently bad. It is a tool, and like all tools, its impact depends on how we use it. We must reframe AI as an aid rather than a crutch. That means fostering educational systems that emphasise critical thinking, ensuring governance retains a human touch, and encouraging creativity that values human effort over machine-generated output.
The danger is not that AI will become too powerful, it’s that we might stop trying to improve ourselves. If we are not careful, we may wake up one day to find that in making life easier, we have made ourselves obsolete. It’s time to ask ourselves: Do we use AI to enrich our lives, or do we let it replace us?
Sonam Pelden
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