With AI, our brain would rust

Okay, I studied Civil Engineering in school, and I was among those who learned practically how to draw a house plan using the technical and manual methods of raw calculations, papers, and pencils. Although the trend of computer-based methods, especially AutoCAD, had already begun, most of us weren't privileged to explore them deeply due to the unavailability of laptops. During my training, a client would come with a description of the kind of house plan they wanted, and we would start from scratch with sketches, real calculations, and balancing everything to scale. We drew those plans with our brains fully engaged, making sure that not even 0.01 mm was missing from the calculations; otherwise, there would be errors. The floor plan, which happens to be the major part of a house plan, was carefully drawn, and the different elevations and views were perfectly crafted from every detail contained in the floor plan.

When we were fully introduced to the computer system, we saw how everything suddenly looked much easier. One only needed to have a basic idea, while the measured angles and other details could simply be selected from the list of tools on the dashboard.

With the introduction of AI, people no longer put(in maximum) their brains to work in crafting house plans. In fact, people can simply type a detailed description of the kind of house plan they want, and the AI generates every detail. While this may sound convenient and efficient, the widespread use of AI is gradually leaving our brains to rust. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against the advancement of AI. In fact, I use it daily. However, there was a unique kind of joy we experienced back then when we solved problems through our own creativity and critical thinking.

During Christmas, when I travelled home, I wanted to convert some cryptocurrency into fiat because I needed money to pay for something. My network connection was poor, and while I was lamenting and hoping that the price at which I wanted to sell wouldn't change, one of my younger siblings, who is into cryptocurrency, asked why I was so concerned about the exchange rate. He admitted that he doesn't even know the value of the dollar. All he does is use a particular app, and the app automatically converts his cryptocurrency to naira without him worrying about anything else. I smiled because that's how many modern-day apps, powered by AI and automation, work. Everything is done smoothly without users having to go through the process of knowing the dollar-to-naira exchange rate before making transactions.

While this new approach may be convenient, people can easily be cheated without even realizing it because those apps are programmed to deduct a small percentage as fees. As for me, my manual method of converting cryptocurrency keeps me informed about the current exchange rate, and I can confidently challenge any incorrect calculation. On the other hand, he has completely surrendered to the AI-driven way of doing things, and even till today, he still doesn't know the current dollar-to-naira exchange rate.

We can go on and on pointing out different areas where we are gradually losing important skills, yet everything seems perfectly fine because the AI train appears to be moving in the right direction, and everyone is enjoying the ride.

Thanks for reading.

Image