Simon, Clea. “What Will AI Mean for Humanity?” Harvard Gazette, 9 Oct. 2025, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/10/what-will-ai-mean-for-humanity/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
Summary:
I was interested in this article immediately when it posed the question of how the use of AI will affect humanity as a whole. The research that Simon referred to about the 54 students whose brain activity was monitored when being assigned an essay to write about true happiness was simplistic, yet profound. This article delves into the data from that study in which it is proven that those who use ChatGPT feel less ownership of their work and how the use of AI can be disempowering. Advertisements and social media are discussed as ways the individual is not being recognized and how these systems can be redesigned in a way that could be positive for the future. Important questions are discussed throughout the article that ponder on the purpose of work and how technology could be something that humans revere rather than allow to dominate our lives.
Why I liked it:
I liked that this study was able to illuminate that truth of how AI bots can steal from one’s own ability to think for themselves; it’s not just about work output, but how a person considers life’s greatest questions. This study supported my beliefs of AI in education in that those who were not allowed to use AI or the internet to produce their essay were the ones who actually reflected on the essay prompt itself, rather than generating a text that is unoriginal. I thought this was a great study for Simon to use as a reference in this article because it not only demonstrated the lack of brain activity in those who use AI to complete their tasks, but in practice showed how it takes away from the joy and fulfillment in our lives; which is a human concern in which we all should be cautious about. This article valued spiritual intelligence over scientific or artificial intelligence, which aligns with my value system as well.
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