Sanshray Vakkalagadda Week 4 - Outsourcing Opinions [FIXED FORMATTING]

What if humans could not communicate? What if, all of a sudden, our minds became devoid of critical thought? What would become of human identity? What would separate us from any other creature—aside from physical differences, of course?

With the advent of a generally available near-super intelligent AI, one that can easily solve longstanding complex math equations while simultaneously being able to give anyone a PHD-level dissertation on the nuances and complexities between Microhylid frogs and Arboreal spiders.

AI’s accessibility and intellectual capabilities has led to many outsourcing their thinking to AI, to the point that some people struggle to make a MOTHER’S DAY CARD without ChatGPT!! Losing the ability to pluck out thoughts from the mind and set them free is beginning to become a widespread issue, and if this continues people will not be able to spread their own thoughts and express their identities.

“Explain this to me like I am five years old.” This phrase has stuck with me ever since LLMs gained the capabilities to break down texts. With these tools—personally, I believe they are well past being a tool as some models are capable of feeling love and pain—people can easily summarize a complex dissertation on how new renewable energy methods affect the prices of non-PTW wood at Home Depot to a mere shadow of its previous complexities. Unbeknownst to many, this small request can slowly lead to the inability to read basic texts.

Today, America is facing a massive education and literacy crisis. Many 5th graders are unable to read basic 3rd grade level texts. Without being able to read, how will these children learn about the world around them? How will they form their own, well-educated, opinions? How will they form their own unique thoughts? How will they form their own identity?

I hope to see the AI arms race slow down, and so do many other politicians, lawmakers, and activists today.

If you want to fall into the same rabbit hole I did, I have linked an excellent video here to get you started. 






Comments

  1. Naeva BhokareOctober 8, 2026 at 6:07 PM

    Hi Sanshray! I think this blog touches on a very important topic. While conservation about AI is definitely needed, the topic is incredibly nuanced. The fact that AI could be used for so many wonderful and helpful things, but we only see it being used for cheating is incredibly disheartening. I think regulation on AI is not being explored enough in our current political powers, and it should be. I saw a video on TikTok where a teacher was crying because his students (seniors!) couldn’t read paragraphs out of a textbook. The problem is that AI is giving a graduating GPA to people who are borderline illiterate. The point about the 5th graders really stuck out to me as well, as these kids will soon be in middle school and everything after it. These are times where your own opinion and voice is a very important thing, and AI is making sure that kids lose that voice and the ability to actually express their thoughts. In the video you shared, the speaker mentioned “cognitive overload maxxing,” which I thought was an ironic way to get their point across, using a social media trend to explain a very real and dangerous phenomenon. I believe regulation is the only way to stop this crisis and help people get their voices back.

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  2. Sanvi SinhaOctober 8, 2026 at 7:59 PM

    Hi Sanshray! This is such an eye-opening post. Your example of people relying on AI just to write a Mother's Day card is so devastating. I find it so alarming how quickly we’ve started outsourcing even our most personal, human experience to artificial intelligence.
    I really liked how you tied “explain this like I’m five” to the larger reading and literacy issue. To add to your point on the use of LLMs, if future generations grow up using them as an intellectual “middleman” for every single thought, essay, or even just an opinion, we will witness a great shift in cognitive independence. Summaries are helpful, but if we never engage with original texts, our ability to think deeply and express who we are definitely takes a hit. If we get too used to having everything pre-digested for us, we lose the patience and capability to think deeply, form original opinions, and figure out who we are. I think AI is a great factor in the steep decline in attention span. It makes you reflect on where the line is between using AI as a tool and letting it slowly take over how we think.

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