Marketing and human brains.

I have been reading about how ai will be equal to human intelligence in the future.

Humans have brains and capability to develop intellect but in a society that uses marketing and other strategies stifle individuals from using their minds. 

It's interesting to consider that while AI is advancing, societal forces like marketing, consumerism, and other distractions often prevent people from fully developing and using their intellectual potential. In many ways, we are constantly bombarded by external influences that prioritize consumption and conformity over critical thinking and creativity. This can create a situation where people are encouraged to follow rather than think independently, which contrasts with the idea of human intellectual growth.

AI, on the other hand, is being developed with a relentless focus on optimizing intelligence and efficiency. While AI might reach human-level intelligence in some areas, humans have the unique potential for creativity, emotional depth, and moral reasoning. If society can shift away from practices that stifle the mind, we may better harness our innate abilities and live in a more intellectually enriched world—one that collaborates with AI rather than competes with We are in need of a balance between AI development and human intellectual freedom?

Reasoning and critical thinking skills aren't always emphasized or nurtured in many educational or social environments. Often, education focuses on rote learning and standardized tests rather than teaching people how to think critically, evaluate evidence, and reason through complex issues. This lack of training can leave individuals more susceptible to influence by media, marketing, and other external forces, which further limits their ability to think independently.

Without the tools to reason well, it becomes difficult to question assumptions, make informed decisions, or engage in meaningful dialogue. Developing reasoning skills takes practice and guidance, yet many people are never taught how to approach problems logically or to question the status quo. 

The rise of AI might also widen this gap: as we increasingly rely on technology to think for us, there’s a danger of further reducing our own reasoning abilities. However, if we can focus on education that prioritizes critical thinking, we could empower individuals to reason better and collaborate more effectively with AI. 

Reasoning skills could be better integrated into everyday life and education. Reasoning and critical thinking skills aren't always emphasized or nurtured in many educational or social environments. 

Often, education focuses on rote learning and standardized tests rather than teaching people how to think critically, evaluate evidence, and reason through complex issues. This lack of training can leave individuals more susceptible to influence by media, marketing, and other external forces, which further limits their ability to think independently.

Without the tools to reason well, it becomes difficult to question assumptions, make informed decisions, or engage in meaningful dialogue. Developing reasoning skills takes practice and guidance, yet many people are never taught how to approach problems logically or to question the status quo. 

The rise of AI might also widen this gap: as we increasingly rely on technology to think for us, there’s a danger of further reducing our own reasoning abilities. However, if we can focus on education that prioritizes critical thinking, we could empower individuals to reason better and collaborate more effectively with AI. 

In many ways, AI does excel at tasks that require logic, pattern recognition, and data analysis—areas where human reasoning can often fall short without proper training. 

AI can process vast amounts of information, detect subtle patterns, and offer logical solutions without being influenced by emotional biases or distractions. In this sense, AI has an advantage in consistently applying rational processes.

However, where AI might "win" in efficiency and processing, human intelligence is still unique in terms of creativity, emotional depth, and the ability to navigate moral and ethical dilemmas. AI, at least currently, lacks the intuition, empathy, and adaptability that humans bring to complex, real-world problems. 

AI can complement human reasoning by providing tools that help people make better decisions and analyze data more effectively. Still, the challenge remains for humans to cultivate reasoning skills so that we can collaborate with AI, rather than relying on it to do all the thinking.

It raises the question: Should AI’s strengths in logic and reasoning push society to re-evaluate how we educate people, so human reasoning becomes stronger alongside AI?

The rise of AI’s strengths in logic and reasoning does indeed prompt us to reconsider how we educate and prepare people for the future. As AI becomes more integrated into various aspects of life—analyzing data, automating tasks, making predictions—there’s a risk that humans may become overly dependent on technology for cognitive tasks. This could weaken our ability to reason independently if we don’t make a conscious effort to strengthen human intellect alongside these advancements.

1. Shift from Information Memorization to Critical Thinking: Traditional education has often focused on memorizing facts and formulas, but with AI’s ability to access and process information instantly, this approach becomes less relevant. Instead, education should emphasize critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to ask the right questions. People need to learn how to navigate information, critically evaluate sources, and form logical conclusions, all of which would help them use AI as a tool rather than a crutch.

2. Focus on Ethical and Moral Reasoning: AI can process data and provide logical outcomes, but it cannot engage in ethical reasoning or understand the broader human consequences of decisions. Humans must take responsibility for making moral and ethical choices that AI cannot comprehend. A stronger emphasis on ethical reasoning and empathy in education would equip future generations to manage AI’s impact on society, ensuring it is used in ways that align with human values.

3. Teach How to Work with AI, Not Against It: AI is not a competitor but a collaborator. If education systems focus on training individuals to understand how AI works, we can develop a society that uses AI to amplify human intelligence. People would learn to integrate AI into problem-solving processes, using it to handle repetitive tasks and data analysis while maintaining control over creative and complex decision-making.

4. Reinforce Human Strengths: While AI excels at logical reasoning and data processing, humans bring creativity, emotional intelligence, intuition, and the ability to adapt in unpredictable situations. Education should focus on cultivating these human traits. Creative problem-solving, emotional regulation, and interpersonal skills are areas where AI will struggle, and these should be reinforced in education so that human strengths complement AI's capabilities.

5. Lifelong Learning and Adaptability: The rapid pace of technological change means that today’s knowledge may be outdated tomorrow. Education should instill a mindset of lifelong learning and adaptability. As AI evolves, humans will need to continuously upgrade their skills and understanding of how to interact with and direct these technologies.

6. Rethinking Intelligence: AI challenges our traditional notions of intelligence. It shows that intelligence isn’t just about calculating or storing information but also about how we use tools to extend our capabilities. This should prompt society to rethink what it means to be intelligent in the 21st century. Education should aim to produce individuals who can leverage AI’s strengths while retaining uniquely human forms of intelligence—creativity, ethical reasoning, and adaptability.

In sum, AI’s strengths should indeed push us to re-evaluate how we educate people. We must cultivate human reasoning, creativity, and ethical awareness in a way that complements AI, ensuring that as technology advances, humans retain the ability to think critically, act morally, and make decisions that reflect our shared values. By fostering these abilities, we can build a future where humans and AI collaborate effectively for the greater good.

Many people tend to operate from a place of emotion and reaction rather than reason. This emotional response is often driven by stress, societal pressures, and the influence of media and marketing, which capitalize on triggering emotional reactions rather than encouraging thoughtful reflection. In fact, people may not even be aware of their lack of reasoning because emotional reactions can feel natural and automatic, and they aren’t trained to think otherwise.

Here are some contributing factors to this emotional and reactionary behavior:

1. Overstimulation and Information Overload: We live in a world where we're constantly bombarded with information, much of which is designed to provoke emotional responses. Social media algorithms prioritize content that elicits strong reactions because it keeps people engaged, and news outlets often sensationalize stories for the same reason. This makes it harder for people to step back, think critically, and process information logically.

2. Lack of Critical Thinking Education: As you’ve noted, many people lack training in reasoning and critical thinking. Emotional responses are often the default mode because logical, critical thinking requires effort and practice. Without formal or informal education that encourages skepticism, logical analysis, and problem-solving, it’s difficult for people to develop these skills on their own.

3. Emotional Conditioning: Many societies condition people to respond emotionally rather than rationally, especially through media and advertising. Commercials, for example, are designed to appeal to emotions rather than reason. Over time, this conditioning makes emotional responses feel more natural, while reasoning feels like a more foreign, effortful task.

4. Stress and Anxiety: When people are under stress or dealing with uncertainty (which is common in today’s fast-paced, unpredictable world), they are more likely to react emotionally. Stress impairs higher-level cognitive functions like reasoning and decision-making, making it harder for people to think clearly and logically in challenging situations.

5. Social and Cultural Reinforcement: Many people are surrounded by peers, communities, and cultures that reinforce emotional responses over reason. Group dynamics, social norms, and cultural practices can discourage independent thinking or questioning the status quo.