So, About That Study on Chatbots and Using Our Brains...⁠↗

using LLMs is making you dumb, it’s that there’s a societal deficit of caring about both the value of learning and knowledge, or following our rules.

We’ve taught generations of students that outcome is the only thing that matters, and that there are usually very few, if any, consequences for faking it ‘till you make it, lying, or behaving like a belligerent asshole. As long as you get yours, it’s all good. So, yeah, load that assignment prompt into ChatGPT, get a subscription to cheat on tests or job assessments with an LLM. You do you. It’s not like it matters anymore.

Didn’t you hear? Normal day jobs are a scam for the poors, education is outdated and overrated, and some finance bro with a podcast and a pyramid scheme can teach you everything you’ll ever need to know, from money, to relationships, to fitness? If not, all you need to do is open any social media app and look at any right-leaning content for Gen Z and younger for five minutes. This message will dominate your feed by the end of the day from here on in.

If you don’t want kids using AI and actually want to engage them in learning, you’re up against a society that does not value what you’re trying to do anymore. You will need to tear up Bush The Lesser’s No Child Left Behind which refocused education around testing rather than engagement, curiosity, and alternative pathways, the worst way to run an educational system according to experts. You’ll also need to show that being a scholar is rewarded rather than just punished by authoritarian regimes on a rampage, and can also yield a fulfilling, adventurous life.