Is the appetite for originality in decline? If so, how does that affect neuroplasticity?
There is no doubt that AI is taking over, and I mean every part of our human existence. A recent The Guardian article presented statistics showing a surge in AI usage in the vast majority of industries. Back in 2017, less than 20% of businesses incorporated AI. Today, that number is at 88% and still skyrocketing. The result: much greater and persistent exposure to AI-driven services and AI-created content.
AI is in our homes. We give it names like Grok, Claude, Alexa, Siri, and Gemini. This level of personification of what is essentially code has blurred the lines. It becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between what is human-created and what isn’t. While largely unnoticed, it suggests that we, as the most advanced species, are, to an alarming degree, struggling with conspecific recognition, essential for a species' survival. Such exposure is not merely a concern for content creators of whatever kind, but for all humanity as a species.
But what has turned the use of AI into such a sweet indulgence when, not too long ago, it was still widely considered inferior?
“... the digital computer may be an inappropriate for stimulating human intelligence.” D G Kourie wrote an article published in 1994. That was when humanity was still widely able to distinguish between human nature and code. However, with advances and wider exposure, this has changed.
In 1968, Polish social psychologist Robert Zajonc coined the term "mere-exposure effect." It is the development of favor through regular exposure, a phenomenon intricately woven into modern-day culture. It is the backbone of clever marketing strategies and the foundation of the global transformation bridging the gap between man and machine, originality and derivativeness…the authentic and the artificial.
In short, increased exposure to AI-created content (in whichever format) causes neurological changes in the brain that make what used to be met with resistance now acceptable and even preferred. This neurological impact is taking shape globally. As more creators turn to AI for its ease, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish artificial content from original creations. AI keeps improving (we feed it with every interaction), and the receiver’s palate is more accustomed to recycled creations.
The fervent desire to be moved by a one-in-a-kind masterpiece has turned lukewarm, and the resistance against the unoriginal has faded. Appreciating the perfection of imperfect work has vanished, and what was once only satisfied by deep, meaningful quintessence is now satisfied by diluted replicas compiled from collective creativity. The dirge of the creative mind is playing.
The greatest ally to the devastatingly fast pace at which AI is taking over our brains, are wired to seek the path of least resistance. Even purists in the creative world face a challenge, as our neurological wiring overshadows the choice to consume only authentically created content.
The heated resistance to generated content in recent years has turned cold, and the outcry for the preservation of originality is now a mere echo of what it used to be and will most likely soon grow quiet. What does this mean for the future of creators and human intelligence alike? Like religion and politics, AI has become a matter of personal conviction. To use or not to use has turned into a loaded question.
Will you steer away from AI-created sources and services to halt the pace at which it is taking over?
There is always a price to pay, and while this price may not be monetary (as AI is notoriously much more affordable than human creators), we would be oblivious to ignore the fact that AI is altering the mental capacity of generations to come.
Failing to recognize the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual debt we’re accruing for future generations makes us irresponsible consumers. The price tag of a declining hunger for originality is steep and can easily demand more than what is left to give. For what is left to give once you’ve lost your ability to create?
Many consider the ability to create a human inheritance, a trait passed on from the Creator to the creation, allowing the process of creation to continue. Creativity moves the soul and supports mental health. Without it, the soul suffocates.
While we teach our children to depend on virtual assistance, we groom them to adapt to a life without an anchor for joy, and that is the compensation the ease of AI demands.
