Nvidia CEO and Trump fan Jensen Huang is someone who really needs AI to grow, grow, grow. His company is a major provider of the hardware needed to run data centers and the computers that power most artificial intelligence systems and services. So it’s not surprising that he doesn’t seem bothered by the idea that AI is rotting the brain, making children forget basic math, and even apparently making them forget their own phone number and address. In a new interview with The New York Times, Huang was presented with research conducted in China showing that AI tools help children do homework faster, but that same research seemed to show that whatever skills the job was supposed to impart weren’t actually being maintained, so their performance on tests and quizzes was rapidly degrading. Jensen agreed that this lack of retention was probably happening to many children using AI, but he wasn’t worried. “Try having a child do long division right now,” Huang said. “The multiplication table is starting to be forgotten. Calculating square roots, my God. Basic math is being forgotten. Does it matter? I don’t think it does. I don’t think it matters.” When the interviewer pointed out that there must be some important skills, Huang agreed, but wondered if basic mathematics was one of those skills, suggesting that we were going to “discover new ones.” He then admitted that due to his own use of AI and other technologies, he does not know his home address or phone number. “There are a lot of skills that don’t matter,” Huang said. “My first confession: I don’t actually know my address. It’s completely true…[my wife] Lori will tell you. One day I had to get gas, it was a few years ago. They needed my zip code and I panicked. I didn’t know my zip code. I don’t know my phone number. I forget about these things. I can live with that.” Huang further suggested that, sure, AI might cause people to lose some “finer intellectual dexterity,” but don’t worry, folks. We’re all going to become better “systems thinkers.” I don’t know what that means, and Huang’s word vomit response, which lasted 230 words, didn’t really help. So I’m going to assume that a systems thinker is someone who will be completely screwed in any situation where their phone is dead and they’re forced to interact with another person who needs to know. their address or phone number. They will also be people who apparently not only can’t do basic math, but probably won’t even be able to explain to you how their chatbot comes to the conclusion that 4 x 3 = 12. I don’t see anything wrong with that being the future!
