The Carnegie Mellon-Microsoft study isn’t alone in its findings. Verbal reasoning and problem-solving skills in the US have been steadily dropping, according to a paper published in June 2023 by US researchers Elizabeth Dworak, William Revelle and David Condon. And while IQ scores had been increasing steadily since the beginning of the 20th century — as recently as 2012, IQ scores were rising about 0.3 points a year — a study by Northwestern University in 2023 showed a decline in three key intelligence testing categories.
All technology affects our abilities in various ways, according to Gold. For example, texting undermines the ability to write proper sentences, calculators reduce long division and multiplication skills, social media affects communication, and a focus on typing has led to neglecting cursive and signature skills, he noted.
“So yes, AI will have effects on how we problem solve, just like Google did with our searches,” Gold said. “Before Google, we had to go to the library and actually read multiple source materials to come up with a concept, which required our brain to process ideas and form an opinion. Now it’s just whatever Google search shows. AI will be the same, only accelerated.”
