Wait: Did Microsoft Just Admit That AI Could Dumb Us Down?

It released a study on AI-led skill atrophy. Is this good marketing?

- Parmy Olson

Microsoft plans to spend $80 billion on artificial intelligence (AI) this year, reinforcing its position as a leading vendor. So why did it publish a research paper showing an erosion of critical-thinking skills among workers using Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT? Genuine scientific inquiry? More likely, it wants to keep ahead of the curve as AI disrupts certain jobs, and ensure that its tools remain useful to businesses. At a time when Big Tech is racing to make AI models bigger, that's a good approach to the industry's business model and its social outcomes.

The study, carried out with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, surveyed 319 knowledge workers on how they used AI, including a teacher generating images for a presentation about hand-washing to her students using DALL-E 2 and a commodities trader generating strategies using ChatGPT. The researchers found a striking pattern: The more participants trusted AI for certain tasks, the less they practiced those skills, such as writing, analysis and critical evaluations. As a result, they self-reported an atrophy of those skills. Several said they started to doubt their abilities to perform tasks such as verifying grammar in text or composing legal letters, which led them to accept whatever GenAI gave them. And they were even less likely to practice their skills when there was time pressure.