{"id":71836,"date":"2024-02-27T00:09:55","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T05:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=71836"},"modified":"2024-02-27T00:09:55","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T05:09:55","slug":"what-happens-when-we-outsource-boring-but-important-work-to-ai-research-shows-we-forget-how-to-do-it-ourselves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/what-happens-when-we-outsource-boring-but-important-work-to-ai-research-shows-we-forget-how-to-do-it-ourselves\/","title":{"rendered":"What happens when we outsource boring but important work to AI? Research shows we forget how to do it ourselves"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nIn 2009, an Air France jet crashed into the ocean, leaving no survivors. The plane\u2019s autopilot system shut down and the pilots, having become reliant on their computerised assistant, were\u00a0unable to correct the situation manually<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2015, a bus driver in Europe typed the wrong destination into his GPS device and cheerfully took a group of Belgian tourists on\u00a0a 1,200 kilometre detour<\/a>\u00a0in the wrong direction.<\/p>\n

In 2017, in a decision later overturned on appeal, US prosecutors who had agreed to release a teenager on probation\u00a0abruptly changed their minds<\/a>\u00a0because an algorithm ruled the defendant \u201chigh risk\u201d.<\/p>\n

These are dramatic examples, but they are far from isolated. When we outsource cognitive tasks to technology \u2013 such as flying a plane, navigating, or making a judgement \u2013 research shows we may\u00a0lose the ability<\/a>\u00a0to perform those tasks ourselves. There is even a term for our tendency to forget information that is available through online search engines:\u00a0the Google effect<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As new AI technologies promise to automate an increasing range of activities, the risk of \u201cskill erosion\u201d is growing. Our research shows\u00a0how it can happen<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 and suggests ways to keep hold of the expertise you need, even when you don\u2019t need it every day.<\/p>\n

Skill erosion can cripple an organisation<\/strong><\/h4>\n

My research shows the risk of skill erosion is easily overlooked. In a recent study, my team and I examined\u00a0skill erosion in an accounting company<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The company had recently stopped using software that automated much of its fixed-asset accounting service. However, the accountants found themselves unable to carry out the task without it. Years of over-reliance on the software had eroded their expertise, and ultimately, they had to relearn their fixed-asset accounting skills.
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An IBM slide from 1979. pic.twitter.com\/kZzSr2mf4A<\/a><\/p>\n

— MIT CSAIL (@MIT_CSAIL) December 19, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n