Why Did Microsoft Admit That AI Is Making Us Dumb?
The tech giant’s own research shows a disturbing trend: The more we trust AI, the less we think for ourselves.
Microsoft research shows a disturbing trend: The more we trust AI, the less we think for ourselves.
Photographer: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images
Microsoft Corp. plans to spend $80 billion on artificial intelligence this year, reinforcing its position as a leading vendor. So why did it recently publish a research paper showing an erosion of critical-thinking skills among workers using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT? If we were being generous, we could say it was genuine scientific enquiry. More likely, it wants to keep ahead of the curve as AI disrupts certain jobs, and ensure that its tools remain useful to businesses. At a time when Big Tech is racing to make AI models bigger, that’s a refreshingly thoughtful approach both to the industry’s business model and its social outcomes.
The study, carried out in conjunction with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, surveyed 319 knowledge workers about how they used AI, including a teacher generating images for a presentation about hand-washing to her students using DALL-E 2 and a commodities trader generating strategies using ChatGPT.