We may lose ability to comprehend results

Oh, just imagine being able to read, translate and remember every written or recorded word ever produced. This is a stupefying feat that is only overshadowed by the ability to digest, combine, reorder and mix those words into a new product.

For those of us who labored over formal term papers, theses, analyses, business reports or Dear John letters leaving a trail of Latin-based footnotes or stats in our wake, the computer-generated versions of “original thinking” have some appeal. With or without some editing for clarity, point of view or style, we could forget about laborious research and the job of writing. Also, we would not be required to think about it other than to frame our artificial intelligence app “ask.” As is often the case, defining the scope of the desired paper may be more significant than the product.

Whether one wants “the history of hot air ballooning” or “a discussion of the nature of man in 1,500 to 1,700 words,” some app will happily oblige. Out of a slurry of algorithms will come something. It could be Velveeta or perhaps even insightful.

The real influence of this technology may come with the passage of time and the repeated reprocessing of original content with AI-generated writing. AI may become superficially more erudite, but the ability of humans to pierce its “intelligence” with fresh thinking, imagination and quirkiness may diminish. This tech-enabled regurgitation of knowledge could signal a new sort of Dark Ages where the dissemination of real thought by real people either becomes a private endeavor between a relative few or a siloed, social media subculture.

Obviously, AI is not limited to reading and writing, but these human skills have brought us — for better or worse — to where we are today. Many question genetically modified organism foods and medications, and maybe a GMO-like intelligence needs serious scrutiny.

Margaret S. Davis, Coronado