Artificial Intelligence as a Precursor to Cognitive Degradation

Abstract

In recent years AI technology has proliferated, becoming unavoidably integrated into the lives of people across the globe. As this technology has grown more omnipresent, a debate surrounding its merits has emerged. Much of the mainstream contemporary discourse on Artificial Intelligence has treated this unprecedented technology as a benign, if not benevolent, development, and its advocates have touted its ability to release humans from burdensome tasks that were previously considered inherent aspects of the human experience. Moreover, much of the existing literature prematurely dismisses the severity of the costs of AI. As powerful social forces and multinational corporations incessantly pressure for the widespread adoption of this technology, the greater part of society has begun to acquiesce. Should this pervasive acceptance of AI as an inevitable societal development be a concern? And what are the theoretical risks posed by AI? Drawing from influential thinkers such as Vallor, Kant, Rousseau, and Aristotle, this paper explores the perils associated with humanity’s burgeoning reliance on AI in its many forms. By identifying the risks AI poses to our cognitive faculties, those which enable us to think, act, and reflect as autonomous agents, this article acts as a compelling warning against the thoughtless adoption of AI technology.