Spend more time with yourself, not artificial intelligence.
I first started to realize that AI creep was getting a little too creepy for my liking a few years ago. Pulling up Google at the slightest hint of an obstacle, at the nagging thought of not knowing the tiniest thing that didn’t matter.
AI took over my life. I was no longer in the driver’s seat, it was AI that was answering all my questions, solving or at least helping me solve all my problems, with the help of fact-checking. Critical thinking and resilience were a thing of the past but there was one question I knew I had to answer on my own, am I too reliant?
After reading this, you’ll probably be screaming YES!!! And yet, every social outing I go to, every class I’m in, every conversation I have, people are asking AI questions the same way I was. After seeing the other side, it’s hard to miss.
‘What food should I try at this restaurant?’ I literally heard this one yesterday, ‘what player should I draft for my sports fantasy picks?’ ‘how do I…(insert anything here).’ It all reeks of over dependence.
I constantly hear that AI is a tool and should be used accordingly. Agreed, but the contribution AI has had on the dwindling attention span and the impact on the enjoyment of life isn’t what a tool is meant for.
If you too want to break away from being reliant on AI, you’ve come to the right place.
Spark your curiosity
Bring back learning, bring back trying things for yourself. Don’t use AI to min-max your way for the most ideal outcome, just do it.
Not only is it unhealthy to depend on AI for decisions humans should make using critical thinking skills, logic and emotion, but it takes away our ability to put our own personal print on whatever task we’re doing. Your decisions and what you choose to learn are what help grow a person. Having a pot of internet jargon summed up into one paragraph do everything for us isn’t what will cultivate your passion, motivate you to continue or get you to have fun during the process.
For one day, try to not use AI and you’ll realize just how much AI dependency you’re really experiencing and how the roadblock for the smallest decision feels overwhelming when it shouldn’t. Start small and work your decision making and critical thinking skills. Follow what you’re naturally curious about and learn. Majority of problems you’ll face going forward will seem tiny.
Using it as a tool
Approach with caution as using AI as a tool is a slippery slope. Have guardrails up and don’t stray. A tool is used for specific functions, not everything. Using pliers to turn on your kitchen sink? No thanks.
When using AI for researching for an assignment, don’t blindly trust it. Fact-check everything and use it the same way you’d use Wikipedia. It’s a great jumping off point for finding information and potentially credible links but dive deeper. Take the information and use your curiosity to learn more, spark more questions and research.
The key factor here is to not let “AI is a tool” be an excuse to look up the most simple questions. It can be used to kick-start a meaningful journey but never to find a piece of information that could be found through alternative methods. Learning a new skill? AI can definitely help, but with the objective that it will eventually move past AI. Whether you’re going to move to full length articles after getting a grasp on some fundamentals or start working on the skill itself.
Attention span
AI dependency doesn’t have to be reality. Nor should AI be scary and avoided. Truthfully, it’s impossible in the modern day. From businesses using AI to generative blocks of text being the first thing users see during their internet search.
But with firm boundaries and realizing AI is not a reliable source for information, it can be used safely and in good health. Resilience is a hard road to rebuild but with other ways to work that muscle it may get easier overtime.
There are other ways to separate yourself from being AI dependent that stretch past Gemini or ChatGPT.
Short form media has been destroying attention spans for over a decade now and contributing to being reliant on AI. The correlation between attention spans and AI use is not a new discovery. Everything is at a push of a button, from entertainment to knowledge. It’s no wonder people have no patience in accessibility for either. In the same vein of going beyond AI for finding information, stretch your capability for entertainment. Without multitasking, watch longer form media and give it your full attention. Giving yourself quick hits of dopamine may seem more effective, but it isn’t. It’s just that, a quick hit, not lasting discovery or eventful entertainment. It’s the equivalent of getting a quick hit of information when using AI. It isn’t factual, it doesn’t full answer the question. It’s a quick synopsis.
Regain your independence
Discovering something new can be fun again, AI does not have to be the end all be all of your learning journey. By putting more focus into everyday decisions and actions, you’ll naturally discover more about yourself even if it means sitting with a bit of discomfort, you’ll expand your interests and learn more about what you enjoy.
Feature photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash
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