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ai-and-human-capacity
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The most dangerous AI products aren't the ones that fail at mimicking humans: they're the ones that succeed. Northwestern research shows blinded users rate AI conversations as more empathic than human ones. Hinge tested an AI-generated "warm intro" for matched users; users rejected it. They'll let AI mediate the match, but not the moment of connection. The distinction matters: AI that absorbs productive friction — the awkward ask, the vulnerable admission, the conversation you'd rather not have — doesn't just save time. It atrophies the capacity those moments were building.
AI Splits the American University in Two
Masko argues AI splits the university in two, and a study of 25,000 Chinese students shows why: homework scores rose with AI, then exam scores dropped significantly once the technology was removed. His fix is supervised, AI-free undergraduate assessment. Next to Apollo's 'great calculator', that makes unaided judgment the scarce input; my extension, not his, is that employers could then price a bachelor's that proves it separately from a research degree that proves amplification.