[ExI] Polanyi's Personal Coefficient

[MB]

Thank you for this.  It sounds rather like what people are worrying 
about when having kids use AI in the classroom.  Will they learn the 
subject or only learn how to make the prompts?  I've heard that teachers 
already see a lack of ability to research anything... just ask the 
phone/computer.

Regards,
MB

Jason Resch via extropy-chat wrote:
> There is a certain fish (a sea squirt) that is known to settle down and
> attach itself permanently to one location on a rock, say. It in effect
> ceases to live as a mobile animal and adopts a more plant-like sort of
> existence.
> 
> An interesting phenomenon then occurs in this creature. No longer needing a
> brain or senses (since it can't react to avoid danger or chase down food)
> the sea squirt dissolves and metabolizes it's nervous system, it eats it's
> own brain! Since it has no other use for it.
> 
> I think this provides a cautionary tale.
> 
> There are certain ways of using an AI, in argumenting/debating to
> strengthen or test ideas, in having it educate you or provide you a new
> skill, etc. which could be seen as collaborative and making one smarter.
> But then there are ways of using AI to do things for us, write an essay, a
> code a project, summarize a book, which cause skills to atrophy. Perhaps
> the latter can make room in our brains for other skills and allow one to
> think more abstractly or focus more on what is of genuine value, but I'm
> not sure. Perhaps it will act as a sorting mechanism between people who
> want to improve themselves and get more done vs. those that want instant
> satisfaction and gratification. I suppose we'll see.