tech
December 26, 2025
Our king, priest and feudal lord – how AI is taking us back to the dark ages
Since the Enlightenment, we’ve been making our own decisions. But now AI may be about to change that
TL;DR
- The author uses a personal anecdote about trusting a navigation app over a friend's advice to illustrate the broader theme of trusting technology versus human judgment.
- Immanuel Kant's definition of Enlightenment as man's emergence from self-imposed immaturity, characterized by the ability to use one's understanding without guidance from another, is discussed.
- The article posits that AI could become the new 'other,' a silent authority guiding thoughts and actions, potentially leading to a decline in critical thinking.
- Data shows a high percentage of people using AI for various tasks, including personal decisions and writing, raising concerns about intellectual outsourcing.
- A study from MIT indicated that essay writers using AI exhibited lower cognitive activity and became progressively 'lazy,' copying large blocks of text.
- The convenience of AI, its ability to process vast amounts of data quickly, and its role in offloading responsibility are identified as key appeals.
- The 'black box' nature of AI, where reasoning is not transparent or easily verifiable, means following its advice can be akin to a return to faith rather than reason.
- While AI can be a useful tool for specific tasks, the author emphasizes that critical thinking is crucial for freedom, human emancipation, and resisting domination.
- The challenge is to harness AI's potential without eroding human reasoning, which is seen as the cornerstone of the Enlightenment and liberal democracy.
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