Can Outsourcing Thinking Make Us Dumber? [Prof. David Krakauer]

In this interview, Professor David Krakauer discusses his work on the evolution of intelligence and stupidity, contrasting human and artificial intelligence. He critiques the current AI trend of equating vast knowledge with true intelligence, arguing that intelligence is about doing more with less information and adapting to novelty. Krakauer introduces concepts like quasi-species theory, the error threshold, and the distinction between knowledge and intelligence, suggesting that culture accelerates evolution by preserving accumulated information. The conversation explores emergence in complex systems, particularly in large language models, and differentiates between "knowledge in" versus "knowledge out" approaches to emergence. Furthermore, they delve into agency, exbodiment, and the boundaries of individual versus collective intelligence, touching on the potential for technology to diminish human cognitive abilities by excessive outsourcing of thinking.