The Tyranny of Tech: AI, the Arrogant Intruder
Our memories are faltering, yet we possess a wealth of information at our fingertips. It feels as though everyone knows everything, prompting the question: what are we truly teaching in schools? Artificial intelligence (AI) entered my life with a powerful impact, and I must confess, we never quite saw eye to eye. In fact, we were like uneasy companions, and it’s with good reason that I’ve come to regard it as an ‘arrogant intruder.’ Now, we must prepare for another challenge, as China introduces DeepSeek, a new version of AI promising simplicity, affordability, and enhanced speed.
On numerous occasions, my own insights have been overridden by the vast trivia of the internet. Once, I was sharing the epic tale of the Mahabharata with my child, only to hear, “The internet says the Kauravas were clones with the same genetic structure.” This moment of revelation coincided with my contemplation of AI-generated clones and deepfakes that are flooding the digital realm. We exist in an era where we consume massive amounts of technology from the moment we wake up, and by afternoon, our systems feel overloaded. We wander about, almost like zombies, our minds crammed with information on every conceivable topic.
Google has become our ‘go-to guru,’ providing answers to the world’s mysteries. Nostalgia has become a forgotten emotion, as the urgency of new data keeps us constantly engaged. We are spoiled with readily available solutions to virtually every problem or question in life. Ironically, when things become overly simplified, life can get exceedingly complicated. While the overabundance of anything is generally undesirable, anything is possible when access to things becomes overwhelmingly excessive. Being swamped in this sea of knowledge sometimes makes me long for a moment of silence and a break from information.
I once asked my mother for a recipe, and she sent me four different links to the same dish. In another instance, my house help, who was visiting her village, began texting me in English. She had discovered a translation app and believed she was now superior to those who actually knew the language. Our dependence on technology is clear. Our memories are on the brink, yet we have a detailed lowdown of information on our fingertips. Everyone seems to know everything, and it makes me wonder, what are we teaching in schools?
When AI can develop better applications than humans, it makes me wonder what we are training people for. It raises the unsettling question: are we truly living in the real world? We have become heavily reliant on the information that overwhelms our thoughts and actions. Google speaks so much that it has become difficult to hear anything else. The processing power of my human brain remains the same, and it is becoming tricky for me to process all the data. I even wondered if, in the future, there would be an anti-Google medicine created to treat the symptoms of ‘Googlitis.’
As I was grappling with the impacts of technology, I heard that the US share market had crashed. Now, it’s time to brace for another challenge, as China unveils DeepSeek, another simpler, cheaper and faster version of AI.
