AI Is Smarter Than Ever. So Where’s the Revolution?

Derek Thompson (0:06)

So, let's say you're in high school. Your parents come home one day and they say, we've decided to get you a private tutor. And boy, do we have the perfect guy for the job. He knows everything. He has literally memorized every fact and finding in every discipline. He can explain every concept to you with whatever metaphor or analogy you want. You're confused about bio, you need some Harry Potter metaphor to remember the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. He is so good at that. And best of all, he's cheap. He's going to live in the basement. He never has to eat or sleep. He's available 24-7. How good does that sound?

Sounds pretty good to you. And so one day, this tutor comes by the house and you ask him, is it true? Can you really memorize every fact, teach me every single subject with Harry Potter analogies? Of course, the tutor says. And there's something else I can do for you as well. In fact, I've done it for most of my past clients. If you want me to just take the biology test for you, I can do it. If you want to just skip the geography lesson and have me just write the geography essay for you, I can do that too. Boring book, you don't want to read Grapes of Wrath. I get it. It's long. I'll read the book for you and write the book report.

He's the best teacher ever. And he's the worst tutor in the world. A tutor so terrible, in fact, that the more you rely on him, the dumber you get.

This isn't a magical tutor. It's not a make-believe thing. In fact, millions of students now have access to it. And we're learning the results. A team of researchers from California recently studied the effect of artificial intelligence chatbots on math scores in a popular learning website since 2015 These students could have used AI to unpack math concepts, come up with mnemonics for the quadratic equation. They could have used AI to become better at math. But what actually happened? On problems that students could copy into their chatbots, performance improved since 2022 But when students were given tests away from their computers, their scores plummeted. In fact, their scores after the invention of AI were worse than they'd been before the invention of AI. The tutor who could teach them anything with any metaphor, taught them to be dumber.

There's several lessons here, I think. One lesson is the difference between the capability of a technology and its use. Just because we can use Wikipedia or Clawd to become experts on quantum mechanics, doesn't mean the primary use case of Wikipedia or Clawd is to increase the number of particle physicists. The second lesson comes from the media theorist Marshall McLuhan, who smartly said that every technology is both an extension and an amputation. A machine that extends human intelligence is also a machine that cuts off the need for humans to be intelligent. Like many technologies, AI forces us to ask a hard question. When you're in possession of a tool that can reduce struggle and friction, you have to ask yourself, what is the value of friction? When is the struggle the point? And when is the solution the point?

Ethan Mollick, I think, is probably the single best explainer of what AI can do for people, and the difference between what it can do in theory and how it's actually used in practice. He's the author of a new book, Coexistence, and today we talk about the paradoxes of AI.

AI makes experts more powerful while automating the junior work that creates experts. It makes our work smarter and faster by automating the process that makes us smart and fast. And according to Ethan, every challenge currently presented by AI will get harder and harder as its capabilities improve exponentially.

I'm Derek Thompson.

This episode is brought to you by JPMorgan Chase. In today's unpredictable world, geopolitics isn't just a backdrop. It's shaping markets, business strategy and risk. The JPMorgan Chase Center for Geopolitics brings together former senior policy makers and seasoned practitioners to translate fast-moving global events into clear decision-ready insights. From conflict and great power competition to energy and supply chain disruption, the center helps clients anticipate what comes next. Read the latest insights at jpmorganchase.com/center for geopolitics.

This episode of Plain English is presented by Comcast Business. Did you know Comcast Business detected 79.3 billion cyber threats last year? That's why they're introducing Security Edge Preferred. It's big business cybersecurity designed for small business. Get started with Comcast Business Internet for $50 a month for one year on a qualifying Internet package, and find out how to get one month of Security Edge Preferred on them. Plus, ask about a $500 prepaid card. Limited time offer, restriction supply, requires 300 megabits per second Internet, Security Edge, Security Edge Preferred, and Wireless Connect. Call today. Ethan Mollick, welcome to the show.