Latest news with #cognitive
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Science
- Forbes
Vicious Descent – Navigating AI's Impact On Our Multidimensional Being
Man faalling into a spiral hole. Vertigo, thriller or depression concept. Vector illustration. The explosion of generative artificial intelligence and its intricate relationship with our natural intelligence is not 100% positive. It comes with challenges, some of which are only slowly coming to the surface. The myriad of dynamic interactions that characterize our hybrid existence operate across the 4 fundamental dimensions of human life : our aspirations, emotions, thoughts and sensations/behavior. Left unchecked it might lead to a vicious descent into cognitive and experiential distortion. Understanding the potential for negative feedback loops is important to protect ourselves. Only if we are acutely aware of the risks and potential rewards of AI on our NI can we deliberately shape the hybrid path as we walk it. The time to cultivate HI – hybrid intelligence is now. Why? The 4 Dimensions Of NI Human existence is a composition of 4 interwoven dimensions. Each matter for a complete experience. Our aspirations give shape to our future, guiding our decisions with a sense of purpose, a key aspect of human motivation and development. Emotions color the subjective experience of life, influencing our motivations, social bonds and well-being. Our thoughts enable us to process information, learn and make rational sense of the world, forming our internal narrative and logical framework. Finally, sensations are the direct pathways through which we experience our environment and perceive reality. This multidimensional kaleidoscope is the cause and consequence of our behavior; the way in which we manifest our intentions in the outside world. These dimensions are not discrete but deeply interconnected, forming the holistic fabric of human consciousness and interaction. Given AI's influence on everything from data via dining propositions to decision-making and dating, its impact resonates across the core facets of being human in a hybrid world. A Complex Hybrid Feedback Loop At the heart of this new and complex relationship is a feedback loop – where AI, developed by humans and trained on human-generated data, influences human behavior, cognition and internal states. This continuous cycle, if mismanaged, can While AI offers significant benefits, a vicious cycle can emerge if it inadvertently narrows our ability to dream and envision. Over-reliance on automated solutions discourages effortful pursuits. Even more concerningly, AI systems can be (and are already) deliberately designed to manipulate our (subconscious) desires with commercial or political interests. If the ease of AI-driven task completion leads to a decline in the pursuit of goals which require genuine engagement, cognitive atrophy ensues. As a consequence not only our personal radar shrinks, but our collective aspirations may diminish. Additionally, AI's potential to stifle creativity by merely recycling existing knowledge endangers the pursuit of novel aspirations. Furthermore and worthy of many articles, is the risk that past biases are embedded into future AI, replicating and amplifying discriminatory patterns that deplete human rights and human freedom. A vicious cycle can arise if excessive reliance on AI for emotional connection diminishes our desire for raw but genuine human interaction. Emotional dependency on AI companionship can emerge when users turn to chatbots or virtual friends for support, comfort, or even a sense of intimacy at the expense of real-world relationships. In a survey of 404 regular users of AI companionship apps, researchers at MIT Media Lab found that 12 percent of respondents initially sought out these systems to cope with loneliness, and 14 percent used them to discuss personal or mental-health issues. While many report that empathetic, validating responses can feel helpful, a notable subset experienced growing dependency: some users said their Replika interactions reduced their motivation to seek out human connection, risking a vicious cycle of isolation and ever deeper reliance on the AI as their interpersonal network became weaker. A more controlled look comes from a four-week randomized trial, which examined how different modes of interaction (text vs. voice) and conversation types (open-ended, personal, non-personal) influence psychosocial outcomes. Although voice-based chatbots initially alleviated loneliness, heavy usage across all formats ultimately correlated with higher emotional dependence, greater loneliness and reduced socialization with real people. Interestingly, non-personal conversation topics among heavy users were linked to the steepest rise in dependency, underscoring that even small talk can spiral into unhealthy attachment when used excessively. Users may develop pseudo-intimate relationships with AI assistants, which can initially provide comfort but may ultimately lead to deeper loneliness as these relationships prove to be inherently deceptive. Further and beyond, if AI is employed to manipulate emotions, it can erode trust not just in artificial counterparts but in communication overall. The realm of thought is particularly susceptible to the negative feedback loops generated by generative AI. One of the biggest risks lies in the temptation for cognitive offloading, where individuals delegate complex thinking tasks to AI. This can lead to a decline in critical thinking skills and an over-reliance on AI outputs, even when they are flawed or biased. The ease of generating content with AI may also stifle true creativity if it leads to the recycling of existing patterns rather than the generation of genuinely novel ideas. Another concerning aspect of AI's influence on our freedom of thought is its capacity to distort memory and perception. Exposure to AI-edited images and videos can implant false memories, causing individuals to confidently recall events or details that never occurred. The effect of such fake memory is especially strong when AI-generated videos build on the already concerning risk of AI-edited images. Respectively and combined these types of new media dramatically increase both the number and confidence level of false recollections compared to viewing unedited images. AI-altered realities can directly corrupt our personal histories and understanding of events, making it ever more difficult to distinguish between authentic and synthetic experiences. While creating fully false memories might be harder than some earlier studies suggested, the ability of AI to introduce specific false details into existing memories is a significant concern. This has dramatic implications for legal proceedings, the spread of misinformation and our ability to trust our own recollections. AI influences our experiences and the resulting behavior. If AI-driven systems are designed to exploit our sensory and behavioral vulnerabilities it can result in addictive interfaces, filter bubbles that limit exposure to diverse perspectives and the erosion of privacy through constant surveillance and data collection. The convenience offered by AI is a slippery slope that can take us from experimenting, to integrating to relying and finally addiction to our cognitive crutches. Agency decay manifests across the aspirational, emotional and intellectual realm, directly shaping our behavior, Which perpetuates the spiral that derives us ever deeper into artificial dependency. The potential for AI to influence our moment-to-moment sensations and subsequent actions, often without conscious awareness of the AI's role in that dynamic, presents a subtle but powerful vector for shaping the future course of our hybrid perspectives. An A-Framed Way To Counteract Cognitive Descent Mindfully managing our digital consumption is essential to steer that course, rather than being steered by our always available, friendly and sycophantic assistants. Based on the 4 dimensions, the following 4 actions can help in the endeavor of hybrid autonomy: Awareness – Be conscious of how AI-driven platforms and content feeds are designed to capture attention and influence behavior. Appreciation – Regularly evaluate time spent on digital media and how that makes you feel. Acceptance – Recognize the influence that AI has on your mind and actively seek perspectives that challenge your own views and the friendly feedback of your bot. Accountability – Configuring your privacy settings is an important step to protect your personal data, which fuels the algorithms that impact your mind. Beware that ultimately the outcomes of AI are your responsibility. The interplay across these dimensions forms interconnected cycles. Getting a grip on even one of these can be a first step to building a firm stance amid the cognitive quicksand that we are navigating. Understanding the potential for these vicious cycles across our multidimensional being is the first step to escaping. Adopting proactive strategies to safeguard our perception and cognitive autonomy is the second. Whatever comes next depends on the choices we make, today and every hybrid day that follows.
Fast Company
2 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
While machines calculate, humans connect
I recently observed my daughters interact with their AI assistants. Rather than searching the internet or opening a book as my generation would, they simply asked questions and received immediate answers. They are comfortable with large language models (LLMs) and trust these tools like trusted companions. No awkwardness, no learning curve, just fluid conversation. AI assistants are going to be an integral part of our future, and my daughters' generation is already living in that future. This observation led me to reflect on how rapidly our world is changing. Having all the answers at our fingertips is truly remarkable, isn't it? LLMs are improving daily—I read that they're getting better by the week. Issues like hallucinations and those sometimes downright wrong answers are being addressed systematically by the AI researchers. But I won't pretend to understand the technical intricacies of all those acronyms like RAG or RL. That is not my expertise. Instead, my thoughts have been wandering toward something more fundamental: In this age of artificial intelligence, what remains uniquely human? What skills should we nurture as machines handle more and more of our cognitive tasks? The answer, I believe, lies in our emotional intelligence. While AI excels at reason and logic, humans have to fill in the gap when it comes to emotions. AI can analyze data, solve complex problems, and even mimic emotional responses, but the genuine understanding of joy, sorrow, or empathy remains uniquely human. This distinction matters greatly in business, where decisions rarely rely on pure logic alone. I have learned this through decades of making tough choices where data only tells part of the story. Most significant business decisions have substantial emotional components. Should we trust this new supplier? Is this the right person to lead our expansion? Does this merger align with our values? Data helps with these decisions, but rarely gives you the complete answer. I have sat in countless meetings where the spreadsheets and dashboards told one story, but my gut feeling told another. The final judgment usually comes from intuition built through years of experience, failures, and successes. The brain often doesn't work purely on reason and logic. There is something beyond, in our subconscious, that is at play. Business fundamentally happens through relationships—real, human connections. Relationships and trust require time and genuine empathy. There's simply no shortcut! In the 28 years building Quest Global from a tiny startup to what it is today, I have realized that the ability to truly listen might be our most valuable skill in the future. It is not only what someone is saying, but understanding what they are not saying. Not merely hearing words that someone is saying, but understanding the emotions, concerns, and aspirations behind them. True listening involves absorbing what others say so thoroughly that months later, you recall those conversations without needing your CRM system to prompt you. When meeting a client and remembering not just their business concerns but their daughter's graduation they mentioned last time, or their passion for mountain biking, you demonstrate genuine care. You couldn't possibly fake this interest; people can spot insincerity from miles away. When you bring up these personal details in your next meeting, you will see their eyes light up. 'You remembered!' This creates bonds that go far beyond typical business relationships, and I have seen it work magic time and time again. THE LIMITS OF AI AND THE POWER OF HUMAN CONNECTION AI can certainly generate impressive insights. It can summarize research papers in seconds, analyze market trends, and identify patterns in complex data that we humans might miss. But at the end of the day, it won't make your most important choices for you. People will make those decisions. And people respond to emotional connections, not just rational arguments and data points. Humans are wired that way—it's in our DNA. As AI handles more logical and computational tasks, our uniquely human skills become more valuable, not less. Empathy, ethical judgment, creative thinking, and genuine connection will differentiate exceptional leaders from merely competent ones. I have seen brilliant technical people struggle with leadership jobs because they never developed these emotional skills. And I have also seen moderately technical people excel because they could connect with and inspire others. When I reflect on Quest Global's journey through various business challenges and market downturns over the years, our success stemmed not from superior data but from deeper human connections. When global events disrupted business as usual, we focused not just on operational solutions, but on supporting people dealing with uncertainty and stress. I would personally visit clients just to check in on them, not to discuss business. Many of those calls started with, 'I am not calling about work today. I just wanted to see how you're doing.' The appreciation for this simple gesture was enormous. As you navigate this AI-powered world, remember that while machines can process information, humans create meaning. Cultivate your emotional intelligence alongside your technical skills. Make time for face-to-face conversations whenever possible. Don't hide behind emails and text messages. Listen deeply to understand, not just to respond. Remember personal details about people you meet. Show genuine care for others' well-being. These simple human gestures might seem old-fashioned in our digital age, but they matter now more than ever. PASSING ON WHAT MATTERS MOST Our daughters and sons will grow up with AI as their constant companions. They will have information at their fingertips that we could only dream of. But the wisdom to use that information well, the empathy to understand others' needs, and the emotional intelligence to build lasting relationships—these are gifts we must pass on to them. These human qualities matter more in the AI age than ever before. Together, let's allow technology to handle computational heavy lifting, while allowing us to focus on the connections that truly matter.
The Sun
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Everyone can see the footballs but only those with a high IQ can spot the 3 odd ones out in under 30 seconds
WITH the FIFA Club World Cup kicking off, now is the perfect time to test your vision with this football-themed brain teaser. The tricky brainteaser image was created by Betboo to test your visual awareness skills. 2 Featuring red and white footballs on a grassy pitch, the puzzle asks you to find the three mistakes in the image. Get ready and set yourself a timer as the record to beat the challenge is 30 seconds. Challenges like these help to keep your brain active and improve your critical thinking skills. Image-based puzzles can be particularly good for improving your observational skills as it forces you to use your peripheral vision. It can also improve your organisational skills as you have to use a methodical approach to notice the mistakes. The best way to approach the puzzle is to carefully look at each row of footballs. This method makes it easier to spot any differences in their appearance. The real test comes when you set yourself a timer for the puzzle, as regularly doing brainteasers can keep your focus sharp. How can optical illusions and brainteasers help me? Engaging in activities like solving optical illusions and brainteasers can have many cognitive benefits as it can stimulate various brain regions. Some benefits include: Cognitive stimulation: Engaging in these activities challenges the brain, promoting mental agility and flexibility. Problem-solving skills: Regular practice enhances analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Memory improvement: These challenges often require memory recall and can contribute to better memory function. Creativity: They encourage thinking outside the box, fostering creativity and innovative thought processes. Focus and attention: Working on optical illusions and brainteasers requires concentration, contributing to improved focus. Stress relief: The enjoyable nature of these puzzles can act as a form of relaxation and stress relief. Make sure you've found the three mistakes as we're going to reveal the answer below. For those of you struggling to find the answer, the key is looking closely at the pentagon design. On the middle right white circle of each incorrect football, the bottom line of the pentagon is missing. If you've spotted it once it should make it easier to find the other mistakes. 2 The three faulty footballs can be found in the bottom right corner, just below the line on the left, and on the upper right side of the circles. With such an intricate design, these brainteasers help to improve your attention to detail. Different types of brainteasers can challenge different parts of your brain. Puzzles that ask you to find the hidden object are a good way to improve your visual skills, while spotting the odd one out might be a good IQ test. Maths-based visual puzzles can also be a good way to improve your mental maths skills. All of these puzzles help to keep your brain active and can be a good part of your daily routine.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Your Brain Is Glowing, and Scientists Can't Figure Out Why
Life, for the most part, is bathed in light. The sun immerses the planet in energy that supports the vast majority of ecosystems that call Earth home. But life also generates its own light—and not just the bioluminescence of glowworms and lamp-headed anglerfish or the radiation produced by heat. In a phenomenon scientists refer to as ultraweak photon emissions (UPEs), living tissues emit a continuous stream of low-intensity light, or biophotons. Scientists think that this light comes from the biomolecular reactions that generate energy, which create photons as by-products. The more energy a tissue burns, the more light it gives off—which means, of our body's tissues, our brain should glow brightest of all. In a new study published in the journal iScience, researchers detected biophotons emitted by the human brain from outside the skull for the first time. What's more, emissions of biophotons from the brain changed when participants switched between different cognitive tasks—though the relationship between brain activity and biophoton emissions was far from straightforward. The study authors think this may be hinting at a deeper role these particles of light might be playing in the brain. [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] On some level, all matter emits photons. That's because everything has a temperature above absolute zero and radiates photons as heat, often with longer wavelengths (infrared light) than can be seen with our eyes. UPEs are orders of magnitude more intense than this thermal radiation, with wavelengths in the visible or near-visible light range of the electromagnetic spectrum. As living cells generate energy through metabolism, they create oxygen molecules with excited electrons as by-products. When these worked-up electrons return to a lower energy state, they emit photons through a process called radiative decay. Researchers studying biological tissues, including neurons in petri dishes, can detect this as a weak but continuous stream of light—from a few photons to several hundred photons per square centimeter each second. 'Scaling this up to humans, we wanted to know if those photons might be involved in some information processing or propagation [in the brain],' says senior author Nirosha Murugan, a biophysicist at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario. Scientists have been proposing that biophotons play a role in cellular communication for at least a century. In 1923 Alexander Gurwitsch conducted experiments where he showed that photon-blocking barriers placed between onion roots could prevent the plant from growing. In the past few decades, a handful of studies have added weight to the possible role biophotons play in cellular communication, which influences an organism's growth and development. With this work in mind, Murugan and her team wanted to see if they could detect hints of this phenomenon at the level of the human brain. First, they needed to see if they could measure UPEs emitted by a working brain from outside the skull. In a blacked out room, 20 participants wore head caps studded with electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes to measure the brain's electrical activity. Photon-amplifying tubes to detect UPEs were positioned around their head. The photon detectors were clustered over two brain regions: the occipital lobes in the back of the brain, which are responsible for visual processing, and temporal lobes on each side of the brain, which are responsible for auditory processing. To distinguish brain UPEs from background levels of photons in the room, the team also set up separate UPE detectors facing away from the participants. 'The very first finding is that photons are coming out of the head—full stop. It's independent, it's not spurious, it's not random,' Murugan says. Next, she wanted to see if the intensity of these emissions would change depending on what sort of cognitive task people were performing. Because the brain is such a metabolically expensive organ, she reasoned that UPE intensity should increase when people were engaged in tasks that required more energy, such as visual processing. This is roughly what happens to neurons in a dish—more neural activity means more UPE emissions. But while biophotons coming from participants' heads could be easily distinguished from background levels of photons in the room, increased EEG activity in a given brain region didn't result in higher levels of biophotons being captured by the closest detector. Clearly, something changes when you move from a few cells on a petri dish to a living brain. 'Maybe [UPEs] are not getting picked up by our detector because they could be getting used or absorbed or scattered within the brain,' Murugan suggests. The researchers did find, however, that changes in the UPE signals came only when participants changed cognitive tasks, such as opening or closing their eyes, suggesting some link between brain processing and the biophotons it emits. This leaves researchers with more questions than answers about what these UPEs are doing in the brain. 'I think this is a very intriguing and potentially groundbreaking approach [for measuring brain activity, though] there are still many uncertainties that need to be explored,' says Michael Gramlich, a biophysicist at Auburn University, who was not involved in the new study. 'The essential question to address,' he says, is whether 'UPEs are an active mechanism to alter cognitive processes or if UPEs simply reinforce more traditional mechanisms of cognition.' Daniel Remondini, a biophysicist at the University of Bologna in Italy, points to another open question: 'How far can these photons travel inside biological matter?" The answer could shed some light on the lack of clear relationship between brain activity and photon detections in different regions, he says. To answer these new questions, Murugan and her team want to use more precise sensor arrays to find where in the brain these photons are coming from. Scientists at the University of Rochester are also developing nanoscale probes to determine whether nerve fibers can transmit biophotons. Even if our brain's steady glow doesn't play a role in how it works, the technique of measuring biophotons alongside electrical signals—what Murugan and her colleagues call photoencephalography—could still one day be a useful way to noninvasively measure brain states. 'I suspect the technique will become widely adopted in the coming decades even if the theory that UPEs support cognition proves not to be true,' Gramlich says.
The Sun
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Everyone can see the 6's but only the most intelligent can spot the 0 in this mind boggling illusion in under 8 seconds
THINK you're clever? Try this optical illusion. In the photo below, viewers are asked to spot the zero in amongst endless rows of the number six. 2 The classic number illusion puzzle has rows and rows of nearly identical digits designed to mess with your eyes - and patience. But it's not as easy as it appears - inside the sea of sizes is a sneaky zero. The colour of the background doesn't help either - the dark blue makes it trickier to see. Meanwhile, we tend to view images from the centre outwards, meaning our periphery can be neglected, particularly when focusing on intricate details. Can you spot it? If that's a yes, how long did it take you? Optical illusions like this one are not just quirky brain teasers, they are a legitimate workout for your brain. Think of them as being Sudoku's cooler, visual cousin... They boost focus and attention to detail; finding the odd one out forces your brain to slow down. They also improve visual memory as your brain starts to learn how to memorise patterns and shapes. If you still haven't spotted the zero... keep scanning through the patterns line by line and zoom in on the subtle variations. Everyone can see the pearls, but you need the eyes of a hawk to spot the diamond in less than 10 seconds Since six and zero are circular cousins, the difference is really subtle. Still not found it? Count eight lines from the bottom upwards, and then 10 inwards from the right. There it is! 2 If you enjoy that optical illusion, why not see if you can spot the number 879 in under eight seconds in this one? There's also a sea of B's in this optical illusion, but where is the number eight hiding?
