Every morning, instead of waking up to a traditional alarm, my smart speaker plays motivational music to help me start my day. It then provides a video news briefing, suggests what I should wear based on the weather, and hands over the reins to my virtual assistant.
“Hey, what’s on my calendar today?”
“You have a meeting at 11 AM.”
As I leave the comfort of my home, navigation apps guide me through the city. They recommend where I should grab my coffee and even suggest responses to my emails. We live in a digital world where technology competes for our attention, taking over tasks we once did ourselves. Some argue this makes our brains more efficient, while others believe it makes us lazy and distracted.
Algorithms now make countless daily decisions for us, based on our past actions and those of others. This raises questions about our humanity: if algorithms guide our daily lives, can they also influence our thoughts? We’ve delegated many basic mental tasks to gadgets.
Consider this: our brain’s internal navigation system is located in a small area, while decision-making happens elsewhere. Now, imagine a virtual assistant handling some of those decisions. Our working memory, which holds information like phone numbers, is now stored in our email. Short-term memory resides in digital calendars and note-taking apps, while long-term memory for facts is distributed across the web and accessed through search engines.
Many cognitive processes now rely on online services. This concept, known as the “extended mind thesis,” suggests that the tools we use become extensions of our minds. When I use my smartphone for navigation or remembering phone numbers, it becomes part of my cognitive process.
But what happens to our brains when these tools guide our thoughts and decisions? Do we lose independent thinking and start accepting AI recommendations as our own? We never think entirely on our own; we’re influenced by what we see. AI changes the game by shaping our information environment.
As AI becomes embedded in our daily devices, it subtly nudges us. It might suggest places we frequent or offer incentives based on our habits. This creates a maze for us to navigate, with algorithms influencing our decisions without us fully realizing it.
If algorithms continue to suggest changes to our behavior, does this alter our psychology? Is new technology changing our brains? This question has been raised during every technological revolution. People generally fall into two camps: some believe technology changes us, while others argue its effects are limited to specific domains.
Even if technology doesn’t change the fundamental processes of our brains, it can push us into different modes of operation. Prolonged exposure to certain modes may make it difficult to revert to previous habits. For instance, the more we consume short videos, the harder it becomes to engage with longer texts.
One problematic habit of thinking is “distraction sickness.” Many have noted our decreasing ability to read longer texts, with data showing a decline in literature reading among adults. This inability to focus on a single task could have broader implications for our cognitive abilities.
As pioneering psychologist William James noted, the ability to pay attention is a key factor that distinguishes highly intelligent individuals. Moreover, many creative ideas emerge when we disengage from external stimuli—something technology often prevents us from doing.
Over the past decade, we’ve had devices that demand constant attention and promise rewards for that engagement. This has led to a lack of time for boredom, which, despite being unpleasant, is essential for our mental health and creativity. Research suggests that boredom allows our brains to reconfigure and make unexpected connections.
It’s challenging to find moments of boredom when we have devices at our fingertips. While it may feel productive to be constantly engaged, we might miss out on the benefits of disconnecting.
Technology can help us transcend the limits of our cognitive capacities by augmenting our memory and navigation skills. In many ways, it enhances our capabilities. However, the real question is whether it changes our behavior over time and how we experience life.
Ultimately, we may need to scrutinize our technology and its influence on our goals and habits. Because we are more than just our brains; we are our brains, plus our devices and algorithms. We now share our consciousness with AI.
Engage in a structured debate with your classmates on the “extended mind thesis.” Divide into two groups: one supporting the idea that technology enhances our cognitive abilities, and the other arguing that it diminishes our independent thinking. Use examples from the article and your own experiences to support your arguments.
Keep a journal for a week, documenting how you use technology in your daily life. Reflect on how these tools influence your decision-making and thought processes. At the end of the week, write a summary of your observations and discuss whether you feel more efficient or distracted.
Challenge yourself to spend a day without using any digital devices. Note how this affects your ability to navigate, remember tasks, and make decisions. After the experiment, write a short essay on how this experience impacted your cognitive processes and whether it changed your perspective on technology’s role in your life.
Participate in a group discussion about the influence of AI on human behavior and psychology. Consider questions such as: How does AI shape our information environment? Are we losing our ability to think independently? Share your thoughts and listen to different perspectives from your peers.
Join a creative workshop where you intentionally disconnect from technology to embrace boredom. Engage in activities like drawing, writing, or brainstorming without digital interruptions. Discuss with the group how this experience affected your creativity and ability to generate new ideas.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
Every morning, when my alarm goes off, I don’t hear a traditional chime – rather, my smart speaker plays motivational music to encourage me to get out of bed. Then it plays a video news briefing, suggests what I should wear based on the weather, and hands it over to my virtual assistant.
“Hey, what’s on my calendar today?”
“You have a meeting at 11 AM.”
I venture out of the familiar terrains of my home guided by navigation apps. I follow their recommendations for where to get coffee and use their suggestions for how to respond to my emails. We now live in a digital universe where different pieces of technology compete for our attention, and some take care of tasks I used to handle myself. Some say this means our brains can work more efficiently, while others argue we’re just becoming distracted and lazy.
The reality is, algorithms can make endless daily decisions for me based on my past actions and those of others. So, what does it mean to be human if algorithms guide me through my day? And if companies influence my decisions, can they then influence my thoughts? We delegate many of our basic mental skills to gadgets.
Here’s one way to look at it: Our internal navigation system is housed in a small part of the brain, while decision-making processes occur in another area. Let’s say a portion of those decisions are taken care of by a virtual assistant. Our working memory, which we use for holding things like phone numbers, is now readily accessible in our email. Short-term memory is stored in digital calendars and note-taking apps, while long-term memory for facts is distributed across the web and accessible through search engines.
I would argue that a significant portion of our cognitive processes now relies on online services. This idea, known as the “extended mind thesis,” suggests that the tools we use become extensions of our minds. When I use my smartphone for navigation or remembering phone numbers, it’s not just a tool; it’s part of my cognitive process.
But what does it mean for our brains when these tools guide our thoughts and decisions? Does this mean we give up independent thinking and start to accept AI recommendations as our own thoughts? We never think entirely on our own; we are influenced by what we see. AI changes the game by manipulating our information environment.
As AI becomes embedded in our everyday devices, it nudges us in subtle ways. It might suggest places we frequent or offer incentives based on our habits. This architecture creates a maze for us to navigate, and the algorithms behind the scenes influence our decisions without us fully realizing it.
If these algorithms continue to suggest changes to our behavior, does this alter our psychology? Is new technology changing our brains? This question has been raised during every technological revolution. People generally fall into two camps: some believe technology changes us, while others argue that its effects are limited to specific domains.
Even if technology doesn’t change the fundamental processes of our brains, it can push us into different modes of operation. Prolonged exposure to certain modes may make it difficult to revert to previous habits. For instance, the more we reinforce the habit of consuming short videos, the harder it becomes to engage with longer texts.
One problematic habit of thinking has been termed “distraction sickness.” Many have noted our decreasing ability to read longer texts, with data showing a decline in literature reading among adults. This inability to focus on a single task could have broader implications for our cognitive abilities.
As pioneering psychologist William James noted, the ability to pay attention is a key factor that distinguishes highly intelligent individuals. Moreover, many creative ideas emerge when we disengage from external stimuli—something technology often prevents us from doing.
Over the past decade, we’ve had devices that demand constant attention and promise rewards for that engagement. This has led to a lack of time for boredom, which, despite being unpleasant, is essential for our mental health and creativity. Research suggests that boredom allows our brains to reconfigure and make unexpected connections.
It’s challenging to find moments of boredom when we have devices at our fingertips. While it may feel productive to be constantly engaged, we might miss out on the benefits of disconnecting.
Technology can help us transcend the limits of our cognitive capacities by augmenting our memory and navigation skills. In many ways, it enhances our capabilities. However, the real question is whether it changes our behavior over time and how we experience life.
Ultimately, we may need to scrutinize our technology and its influence on our goals and habits. Because we are more than just our brains; we are our brains, plus our devices and algorithms. We now share our consciousness with AI.
Brain – The organ in humans and other animals that is responsible for thought processes, memory, emotion, and sensory interpretation. – Neuroscientists are studying how different regions of the brain interact to understand complex behaviors.
Algorithms – A set of rules or processes followed in problem-solving operations, often used by computers to perform tasks. – Machine learning algorithms are designed to improve their performance as they are exposed to more data.
Psychology – The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. – Cognitive psychology explores how people perceive, think, and solve problems.
Technology – The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry, and its impact on human behavior and society. – The rapid advancement of technology has significantly influenced how we communicate and process information.
Distraction – A thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else, often affecting cognitive performance. – The constant notifications from smartphones can be a major distraction during study sessions.
Cognition – The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. – Researchers in cognitive science are investigating how cognition is affected by aging.
Memory – The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information, crucial for learning and decision-making. – Studies on memory have shown that emotional experiences are often remembered more vividly.
Influence – The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something. – Social media has a profound influence on public opinion and individual behavior.
Behavior – The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others, often studied in psychology to understand underlying motives. – Behavioral psychology examines the relationship between stimuli and responses in human behavior.
AI – Artificial Intelligence, the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. – AI is being used to develop systems that can recognize speech and images with high accuracy.
