Are We Creating Morons?

It is sad that today's generation is growing up in an age where technology is not being used as a supplement, but as a substitute for effort, struggle and learning

- RAJEEV NARAYAN

"Moore's Law means that more and more things can be done practically for free. If it only weren't for those who still want to get paid..." — Jaron Lanier

When in doubt, blame those who are not around anymore to defend themselves. It happened to the Jews in the 14th Century, when they were accused of poisoning wells and causing the Black Death. It happened to John Lennon's wife Yoko Ono in 1970, when she was blamed for breaking up "The Beatles." It happened to Gaétan Dugas in the 1980s, when he was identified as 'Patient Zero' and blamed for the AIDS epidemic in the United States. It happened to Grigori Rasputin, when he was aligned with the Romanovs and blamed for the Russian Empire's misfortune. Closer home, it has happened to former politicians for decisions they took decades back in 'national disinterest.' And it is happening in the tragic case of the Air-India Dreamliner takeoff-crash. Blaming those who cannot respond is a safe bet.

Having thus learned from Illuminati present and former, I blame Intel co-founder Gordon Moore for his prediction of 1965, when he said "the number of transistors on a microchip will double every two years, exponentially increasing computational power." His forecast—Moore's Law—has come true and ushered in a modern digital age, transforming our world from paper records and analog clocks to facial recognition, self-driving cars and Artificial Intelligence (AI) capable of writing essays, composing music and diagnosing disease. Mankind has ridden this wave, creating tools to help it think, create, procreate and navigate. All because of Moore, machines are smarter, faster and intuitive. Also because of Moore, we face a burning question: Are humans getting dumber?