The AI Resistance is Forming

In a recent episode of The Cal Newport Show, computer scientist and author Cal Newport sat down with fellow author Brad Stulberg to discuss a provocative new paper titled "Large Language Models as a Cognitive Virus." This paper, penned by a distinguished group of international professors, posits that as Large Language Models (LLMs) proliferate, they act like a virus, fundamentally altering collective human cognition. The changes, the authors warn, could be profoundly negative.

Newport admits that reading this paper was a wake-up call. He notes that much of the recent AI discourse has been fixated on existential questions: Will AI monsters kill us all? Or are we on the cusp of a digital utopia where LLMs solve every problem? While these questions are engaging, Newport argues they distract from a more immediate and personal concern: how AI impacts individual humans and their ability to flourish.

Shifting Focus: From Humanity to Humans

Newport's core mission has always been to help individuals navigate the technological landscape in a way that fosters human flourishing. He believes the conversation needs to shift from the abstract impact of AI on "humanity" to its concrete effects on "humans." This realization was solidified by a call from Brad Stulberg, who declared himself "done with AI."

Stulberg, author of the New York Times bestseller "The Way of Excellence," explained that despite trying AI tools and being urged to embrace them as the future, he found they weren't making him better at what he cared about or improving his life. In fact, they ran contrary to many of the principles he lives and writes about concerning meaningful human existence. Newport saw in Stulberg's stance the genesis of a "pro-human resistance movement" against the totalizing influence of artificial intelligence. This, Newport asserts, is the crucial conversation we should be having: how individuals can flourish in an AI-driven world.