Humanity Is Becoming Dumber as AI Advances, Juan Villoro Says

As artificial intelligence grows more capable, humanity is becoming “dumber” by handing memory and other cognitive functions to machines, writer Juan Villoro told an event at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Villoro said IQ rose by 30 points during the 20th century in what is known as the Flynn effect. He argued that the trend has now reversed, with IQ declining by two points per decade. Reaching an IQ of 130 corresponds to a level of genius, he said, making the change especially significant.

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The problem is not only that artificial intelligence is increasing, but that the human species is becoming more stupid.

He described artificial intelligence as “a formidable tool that is here to stay” and said there is no way to fight it. But he warned that humanity’s technological future rests with a small group. According to Villoro, only 150 significant AI programmers exist worldwide, all men, most of them American and some Chinese. “So humanity’s technological future is in the hands of no more than 150 people,” he said.

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A formidable tool that is here to stay.

Villoro also highlighted the resources needed to operate AI systems. He said that producing every 100 words in ChatGPT requires a large glass or half a bottle of water to cool the servers, offering it as an example of the technology’s high energy and resource consumption.

He rejected banning mobile phones, arguing that prohibition would turn them into objects of desire. Instead, he called for regulating their use because of technology’s addictive effects. Villoro said AI operates as a data processor with a “precognitive” character because it needs prior information to formulate an answer.

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So humanity’s technological future is in the hands of no more than 150 people.