AI, Software, Coding, Internet Security Thread
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The Dark Side Of AI: Tracking The Decline Of Human Cognitive Skills
Chris Westfall
Contributor
Dec 18, 2024, 08:30am EST
Guidance for leaders and aspiring leaders, interested in career impact
Cognitive skills still matter in the age of AI. getty
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about numerous innovations that have revolutionized industries, from healthcare and education to finance and entertainment. However, alongside the seemingly limitless capabilities of ChatGPT and friends, we find a less-discussed consequence: the gradual decline of human cognitive skills. Unlike earlier tools such as calculators and spreadsheets, which made specific tasks easier without fundamentally altering our ability to think, AI is reshaping the way we process information and make decisions, often diminishing our reliance on our own cognitive abilities.
AI: A Double-Edged Sword for Human Cognitive Skills
Tools like calculators and spreadsheets were designed to assist in specific tasks—such as arithmetic and data analysis—without fundamentally altering the way our brains process information. In fact, these tools still require us to understand the basics of the tasks at hand. For example, you need to understand what the formula does, and what output you are seeking, before you type it into Excel. While these tools simplified calculations, they did not erode our ability to think critically or engage in problem-solving - the tools simply made life easier. AI, on the other hand, is more complex in terms of its offerings - and cognitive impact. As AI becomes more prevalent, effectively “thinking” for us, scientists and business leaders are concerned about the larger effects on our cognitive skills.
Declining Cognitive Skills in Education
The effects of AI on cognitive development are already being felt in schools across the United States. A 2023 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology found that students who relied heavily on AI for writing assignments performed worse on tests that required independent thought and reasoning compared to students who completed assignments without AI assistance. This suggests that the use of AI in academic settings is not just an issue of convenience, but may be contributing to a decline in critical thinking skills. The National Institute of Health cites similar concerns, as well as mentioning that attention spans will be shortened by relying too much on AI.
Furthermore, educational experts argue that AI's increasing role in learning environments risks undermining the development of problem-solving abilities. Students are increasingly being taught to accept AI-generated answers without fully understanding the underlying processes or concepts. As AI becomes more ingrained in education, there is a concern that future generations may lack the capacity to engage in deeper intellectual exercises, relying on algorithms instead of their own analytical skills.
The Risk to Mental Agility in the Workforce
The cognitive implications of AI are also being felt in the workplace. A study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that professionals who frequently used AI to generate reports, emails, or presentations reported a decline in their ability to brainstorm or think creatively. While AI can enhance productivity, it also carries the risk of stifling innovation and critical thinking. When employees turn to AI for routine tasks, they may miss out on opportunities to practice and refine their cognitive abilities, potentially leading to a mental atrophy that limits their capacity for independent thought.
Moreover, AI's role in decision-making processes has raised concerns about the erosion of human judgment - and trust - in organizations. In sectors like finance and healthcare, AI systems are increasingly being used to recommend investment strategies or medical diagnoses. The risk of incorrect outputs or dangerous guidance remains a concern, as glitches can show up in even the most sophisticated LLMs. The more decisions we delegate to AI, the less practice we get in honing our own judgment.
The Future of Cognitive Skills: Using AI to Enhance Capability, Not Erase It
Using AI as a tool to augment human abilities, rather than replace them, is the solution. Enabling that solution is a function of collaboration, communication and connection - three things that capitalize on human cognitive abilities.
For leaders and aspiring leaders, we have to create cultures and opportunities for higher-level thinking skills.
Whether through collaborative learning, complex problem-solving, or creative thinking exercises, the goal should be to create spaces where human intelligence remains at the center. Does that responsibility fall on learning and development (L&D), or HR, or marketing, sales, engineering... or the executive team? The answer is: yes. A dedication to the human operating system remains vital for even the most technologically-advanced organizations. AI should serve as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, human cognitive skills.
As we continue to integrate AI into our lives, it is crucial that we remain aware of its potential to erode the very skills that make us human—our ability to think, reason, and solve problems independently. Collaboration, communication, connection: are we remembering how to think strategically about the capabilities of AI? By maintaining a careful balance between technological advancement and cognitive skills, we can ensure that AI enhances, rather than diminishes, our human potential.
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Chris Westfall
Chris Westfall covers the changing nature of the leadership conversation. Recognized as the US National Elevator Pitch Champion, he is the author of four books, and a ghost writer on eight more (including a Wall Street Journal Best-Seller). An international keynote speaker and frequent media guest, he has appeared on NBC, ABC NEWS, Bloomberg, BBC Radio and multiple broadcast outlets. Working with high-growth companies and Fortune 500 executives, he is a business coach to media personalities, entrepreneurs, political candidates, military leaders, professional athletes and global organizations. His entrepreneurial coaching clients have appeared on television shows like Shark Tank, Dragons Den in Canada and Shark Tank Australia. Based in Houston, he regularly works with multiple colleges at Texas A&M University, coaching the winners of the Rice Business Plan Competition in 2016 and 2023. Latest book: Easier (Wiley). Contributor since: 2019.
The Dark Side of AI: How It’s Impacting Human Cognitive Skills
AI has created seemingly limitless possibilities in business. But is there a dark side to AI? If we rely too much on 'bots, what's the impact to our cognitive skills?
www.forbes.com
Indos
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Jakarta. In his March 2023 blog titled "The AI Age Has Begun", Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that whether we like it or not, discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) would dominate the public discourse for the foreseeable future.
The generative AI chatbot ChatGPT launch on Sep. 30, 2022, has shifted AI from a technical business topic to everyone’s buzzword that keeps getting louder day after day.
According to online visibility management and content marketing firm Semrush, ChatGPT attracted 393 million monthly visitors as of Oct. 2024, a massive jump from just 1 million users five days after its launch. It makes ChatGPT one of the world's most visited websites, with 3.66 billion visits in October.
In the enterprise, IDC’s recent FutureScape report predicted that by 2025, 50 percent of enterprises would form strategic ties with cloud providers for GenAI platforms along with developer tools and infrastructure, which required new corporate controls for data and cost governance.
jakartaglobe.id
The generative AI chatbot ChatGPT launch on Sep. 30, 2022, has shifted AI from a technical business topic to everyone’s buzzword that keeps getting louder day after day.
According to online visibility management and content marketing firm Semrush, ChatGPT attracted 393 million monthly visitors as of Oct. 2024, a massive jump from just 1 million users five days after its launch. It makes ChatGPT one of the world's most visited websites, with 3.66 billion visits in October.
In the enterprise, IDC’s recent FutureScape report predicted that by 2025, 50 percent of enterprises would form strategic ties with cloud providers for GenAI platforms along with developer tools and infrastructure, which required new corporate controls for data and cost governance.
Businesses Should Consider AI Private Cloud Adoption: Kyndryl
Kyndryl emphasizes the importance of organizing the back-end part and the adoption of AI private cloud.
Indos
INT'L MOD
- Thread starter
- #144
According to online visibility management and content marketing firm Semrush, ChatGPT attracted 393 million monthly visitors as of Oct. 2024, a massive jump from just 1 million users five days after its launch. It makes ChatGPT one of the world's most visited websites, with 3.66 billion visits in October.
Businesses Should Consider AI Private Cloud Adoption: Kyndryl
Kyndryl emphasizes the importance of organizing the back-end part and the adoption of AI private cloud.
Free Chat GPT can use Ads there to generate money for Open AI, while Chat GPT Plus (paid version) can remain as it is with no adds
Indos
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Grok AI answers
Certainly! Algorithm design is a fascinating field with numerous approaches and techniques. Here are some key concepts and steps that you might find useful when designing algorithms:
Steps in Algorithm Design:
Certainly! Algorithm design is a fascinating field with numerous approaches and techniques. Here are some key concepts and steps that you might find useful when designing algorithms:
Steps in Algorithm Design:
- Define the Problem Clearly:
- Understand what needs to be solved. What are the inputs? What should the outputs be?
- Choose the Right Data Structures:
- Arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, graphs, etc., depend on the nature of the data and operations you need to perform.
- Algorithm Strategy Selection:
- Decide on an approach like:
- Brute Force: Checking all possibilities.
- Divide and Conquer: Breaking the problem into smaller subproblems (e.g., Merge Sort).
- Greedy: Making the locally optimal choice at each step (e.g., Dijkstra’s Algorithm).
- Dynamic Programming: Solving problems by combining solutions to subproblems (e.g., Fibonacci sequence).
- Backtracking: Exploring all possibilities but pruning branches that do not lead to solutions.
- Heuristics: Using rules of thumb for problems where finding an exact solution is impractical.
- Decide on an approach like:
- Design the Algorithm:
- Sketch out the steps. Pseudocode can be very helpful here.
- Analyze Time and Space Complexity:
- Understand how your algorithm scales with input size (Big O notation).
- Optimization:
- Look for ways to improve efficiency, like reducing time or space complexity, or tweaking for specific scenarios.
- Implementation:
- Write the actual code. Here's a simple example in Python for sorting an array using the bubble sort algorithm (a basic example for illustration):
- Test and Debug:
- Use various test cases to validate the algorithm. Edge cases are particularly important.
- Refine:
- Based on testing, refine your algorithm for robustness or efficiency.
- Keep it Simple: Start with a straightforward solution before optimizing. Sometimes, simplicity leads to better maintainability.
- Documentation: Comment your code where necessary to clarify complex or non-obvious logic.
- Modularity: Design algorithms with reusable parts if possible.
Indos
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AI startup Basis raises $34 million for accounting automation 'agent'
Wed, December 18, 2024 at 1:16 AM GMT+7
2 min read
By Anna Tong
(Reuters) - Artificial intelligence startup Basis has raised $34 million in a Series A funding round for its AI-powered accounting automation product, the company said on Tuesday.
The round was led by Khosla Ventures. Other investors included NFDG, the AI-focused fund run by former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and former Apple executive Daniel Gross, OpenAI board members Larry Summers and Adam D'Angelo, and Google's chief scientist Jeff Dean.
New York-based Basis is part of a category of AI startups creating autonomous agents, or systems that use AI to perform actions on their own. Executives in the field such as OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar have said such systems will dominate the AI agenda next year, as models have recently gotten to the point where they can carry out long-term planning.
Basis' product, which they specifically sell to accounting firms, is capable of performing various workflows such as entering transactions and double-checking data accuracy, and integrates with popular ledger systems like Intuit's QuickBooks and Xero, the company said.
Large accounting firms like Wiss, which employs 450 accountants, have seen up to 30% in time reduction from using Basis, the company's CEO Matt Harpe told Reuters.
The product, which functions like a junior accountant, allows staff accountants to spend their time reviewing the AI agent's work, rather than doing the work manually, Harpe said.
Basis helps to solve the current critical shortage of accountants, Khosla Ventures managing director Keith Rabois told Reuters, as baby boomers retire and younger generations opt out of the profession.
The sector employs over 3 million in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the number of candidates sitting for the annual CPA exam decreased by 33% from 2016 to 2021, according to the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.
Global accounting firms have historically dealt with the shortage by setting up shop in outsourcing hubs like India.
Accounting is also among the sectors most vulnerable to AI disruption. A 2023 OpenAI paper concluded that large language model-driven automation could impact 100% of accountants and auditors' tasks.
(Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
AI startup Basis raises $34 million for accounting automation 'agent'
Artificial intelligence startup Basis has raised $34 million in a Series A funding round for its AI-powered accounting automation product, the company said on Tuesday. The round was led by Khosla Ventures. Other investors included NFDG, the AI-focused fund run by former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman...
finance.yahoo.com
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