The Digital Press

A New Yorker essay explores how repetitive effort combined with variation fosters human creativity and growth, and questions whether AI's ability to generate endless iterations might diminish our mental engagement and development. It highlights the tension between AI's convenience and the value of personal intellectual struggle.

Why it matters: AI can reduce the effort of mental tasks, potentially weakening human creativity and problem-solving skills over time.

The big picture: Repetition with variation nurtures evolving personal skills, while AI-generated solutions risk creating intellectual passivity.

The stakes: Overreliance on AI might stunt mental growth, leading to diminished resilience, patience, and a weaker sense of self.

Commenters say: Many worry AI threatens genuine creativity and meaningful work, while some embrace its practical benefits but caution against losing human mental vitality.