The erosion of human agency in the age of AI and how to resist it
By
Cornelia C. Walther Ph.D.
Toasted golden, schmeared with insight. Top of the rack.
Summary
The article explores how human agency and cognitive abilities are eroding in the age of AI, as we increasingly outsource thinking, memory, and decision-making to machines. It argues that this "agency decay" happens gradually and often goes unnoticed until it's too late. The piece calls for deliberate, conscious action to resist this trend, framing both the recognition of the problem and the act of resistance as essential cognitive and political acts.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledSome types of loss announce themselves only in retrospect. Too late.
You reach for a word in your mind, and it has gone.
What happens to human beings when machines do the thinking for them?
Noticing that we are at risk and resisting the danger are cognitive and political acts.
We must move beyond the aspiration for autonomy to action for its sake.
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