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With a few clicks of their phone, a student has completed a full lab analysis for homework, ordered themselves a Chipotle bowl for dinner, and gotten directions to drive home from school in only two minutes. In today’s world, almost every aspect of life is designed to be faster and more efficient, whether that means using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to do your homework or ordering food straight to your house. While this level of convenience has made our daily lives much more efficient, it also raises concerns for many people about its long-term impact on people’s abilities. As individuals increasingly rely on technology to think, communicate, and make decisions for themselves, essential life skills are becoming more difficult to develop. Although we may be gaining efficiency, we are also at risk of losing important life skills that may be more important than most realize.
One of the most significant ways convenience is affecting our life skills is through the decline of independent thinking, especially as people become overly dependent on AI. It’s not uncommon to ask AI for help, but when we seek quick answers instead of taking the time to understand the reasoning behind them, we give technology the opportunity to shape our own lives.
For example, many schools today are struggling with AI use because instead of learning the material themselves, students are using generated answers and trusting them without questioning their accuracy. Class assessments have been implemented to challenge a student’s thinking, but if they aren’t even thinking in the first place those tests become useless. Without even knowing it, many people are losing the ability to think on their own, and it will likely hurt them in the future.
AI isn’t always going to be accessible, and in scenarios like job interviews where answers are demanded instantly, dependence on AI will leave a larger impact on an individual because the safety net of a reliable answer won’t be there.
Additionally, the recent rise in short-form content is leaving a noticeable impact on today’s literacy rates. Platforms like Instagram and YouTube have been taken over by quick videos and rapid scrolling, making it harder for individuals to focus on longer, more complex texts. Over time, this can shorten attention spans because the quick transition from one video to the next is reducing our brain’s tolerance for sustained attention, making it more difficult to stay focused on one task at a time, as stated by Morgan Virtual Psychiatry. In response, more people are beginning to lose the skill to read a simple article or book, and it’s shown through public statistics.
In California, around 28% of the population (ages 16 to 74 years old) has a literacy score of equal to or less than Level One, averaging a literacy score of 257. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, at Level One, adults are considered to be at risk for having trouble using or comprehending print material, as they are only able to understand very basic vocabulary words.
However, the consequences of convenience are not limited to individual thinking; it’s also beginning to affect our social skills. Having easy access to delivery services means that humans are interacting with one another less and less, which is leaving a bigger impact on individuals than we think. In face-to-face conversations, making mistakes is normalized and something we often expect. However, when we communicate through prewritten messages and instructions to deliver a package properly, we avoid discomfort. As a result, individuals miss out on opportunities to practice their communication skills, adapt to situations on the spot, and build confidence. Where things are being optimized for little error, people have fewer chances to build resilience and problem-solving skills.
Although we may not think it’s leaving that big of an impact today, our lives will not always be as optimized or accessible as they are today, and in situations where these shortcuts are unavailable, being overly-dependent on them will make it significantly harder to handle the unpredictability of life.
Despite these concerns, having easy access to these shortcuts is beneficial and should be used when we can. Not only do they save time to make our lives more efficient, but easy accessibility also means more accessibility. This means we often have more resources available at any given time, making it very beneficial, whether it’s used in school or while simply navigating life. When used in moderation, these shortcuts can make life more enjoyable and manageable without replacing the skills we need to function independently.
Ultimately, convenience itself isn’t a problem; it’s the growing dependence on it that is posing a risk to society’s future. What was created to make our lives easier has evolved into something that is replacing our basic life skills. If we continue to rely on these shortcuts for thinking and communicating, we are at risk of losing the skills that allow us to function independently.
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