AI指令是否正在损害你的思考能力？

🤔️小作业：

1.Which of the following best describes the overall structure of the article?

A. It presents a single study and argues firmly against the use of AI in education.

B. It contrasts early optimism about AI with conclusive evidence of cognitive decline.

C. It introduces concerns about AI, presents empirical findings, and concludes with a balanced assessment.

D. It lists multiple negative consequences of AI use without offering counterarguments.

无注释原文：

Are these AI prompts damaging your thinking skills?

From: BBC

What was the last thing you asked an AI chatbot to do for you?

Maybe you asked it for an essay structure to help answer a tricky question, provide an insightful analysis of a chunky data set, or to check if your cover letter matches the job description.

Some experts worry that outsourcing these kinds of tasks means your brain is working less - and could even be harming your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published a study showing that people who used ChatGPT to write essays showed less activity in brain networks associated with cognitive processing while undertaking the exercise.

These people also couldn't quote from their essays as easily as those in the study who didn't use an AI chatbot.

The researchers said their study demonstrated "the pressing matter of exploring a possible decrease in learning skills".

All 54 participants were recruited from MIT and nearby universities. Their brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG), which involves electrodes being placed on the scalp.

Some of the prompts used by the participants included asking AI to summarise essay questions, track down sources as well as refine grammar and style.

It was also used to generate and articulate ideas - but some users felt AI wasn't very good at this.

'AI makes it too easy to find answers'

Separately, Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft, which operates Copilot, found people's problem-solving skills could diminish if they became too reliant on AI.

They surveyed 319 white-collar workers who used AI tools for their jobs at least once per week about how they apply critical thinking when using them.

They looked at 900 examples of tasks given to AI, ranging from analysing data for new insights to checking whether a piece of work satisfies particular rules.

The study found that higher confidence in the tool's ability to perform a task was related to "less critical thinking effort".

"While GenAI can improve worker efficiency, it can inhibit critical engagement with work and can potentially lead to long-term overreliance on the tool and diminished skill for independent problem-solving."

Schoolchildren in the UK were similarly surveyed for a study published in October by Oxford University Press (OUP).

It found six in 10 felt AI had negatively impacted their skills in relation to schoolwork.

So, with the massive explosion of AI use, are our cognitive skills at risk of decline?

Not necessarily, says Dr Alexandra Tomescu, a generative AI specialist at OUP who worked on the school survey.

"Our research tells us that nine in 10 students say AI has helped them develop at least one skill related to schoolwork - be it problem-solving, creativity or revision.

"But at the same time, about a quarter state that AI use made it too easy to do work for them… So [it's] quite a nuanced picture."

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为BBC官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Are these AI prompts damaging your thinking skills?

From: BBC

What was the last thing you asked an AI chatbot to do for you?

你上一次请AI（人工智能）聊天机器人帮你做什么？

Maybe you asked it for an essay structure to help answer atrickyquestion, provide an insightful analysis of achunkydata set, or to check if yourcover lettermatches the job description.

也许你请它帮你拟定一篇论文的结构，以帮助回答棘手的问题，提供对庞大数据集的深入分析，或检查你的求职信是否符合职位描述。

tricky

tricky /ˈtrɪk.i/ 作形容词，表示“难办的；难对付的；棘手的”，英文解释为“If a piece of work or problem is tricky, it is difficult to deal with and needs careful attention or skill.”举个🌰：I'm in a tricky situation - whatever I do I'll offend someone. 我的处境真有点儿难办——我无论怎么做都会得罪人。

chunky

chunky /ˈtʃʌŋ.ki/ 1）表示“（衣服）厚实的，厚重的；（首饰）沉甸甸的”，英文解释为“used to describe clothes that are thick and heavy, or jewellery made of large pieces”如：a chunky sweater 厚实的毛衣。

2）表示“（人）敦实的；矮胖壮实的”，英文解释为“used to describe a person who is short and heavy”

此处表示 “大块的、厚重的、内容繁多且复杂的”。

cover letter

covering letter /ˈkʌv.ər.ɪŋ ˌlet.ər/ 表示“附函，附信”，英文解释为“a letter that contains information about the thing it is sent with”举个🌰：Please send a covering letter with your application form. 请将附函与申请表一同寄出。

Some experts worry thatoutsourcingthese kinds of tasks means your brain is working less - and could even be harming your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

一些专家担心，将这类任务外包给AI，意味着你的大脑运作减少，甚至可能损害你的批判性思维和解决问题的能力。

outsource

outsource /ˈaʊt.sɔːs/ 表示“外包；（将…）交外办理”，英文解释为“If a company outsources, it pays to have part of its work done by another company.”举个🌰：Some companies outsource to cheaper locations to cut costs. 为了降低成本，有的公司把工作外包给劳动力廉价的地区。

Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published a study showing that people who used ChatGPT to write essays showed less activity in brain networks associated withcognitiveprocessing while undertaking the exercise.

今年较早前，麻省理工学院（MIT）发表的一项研究显示，使用ChatGPT撰写论文的人，在进行该活动时，大脑神经网络中与认知处理相关的活动较少。

cognitive

cognitive /ˈkɒɡ.nə.tɪv/ 表示“认知的；感知的；认识的”，英文解释为“Cognitive means relating to the mental process involved in knowing, learning, and understanding things.”举个🌰：As children grow older, their cognitive processes become sharper. 随着孩子们长大，他们的认知过程也变得越来越敏锐了。

These people also couldn'tquotefrom their essays as easily as those in the study who didn't use an AI chatbot.

这些人也无法像未使用AI聊天机器人的作者那样，轻松引用自己论文中的内容。

quote

可以作名词，也可以作动词，1）表示“引用，引述，援引”，英文解释为“to repeat the words that someone else has said or written”举个🌰：He's always quoting from LearnAndRecord. 他总是引用《LearnAndRecord》上的内容。

📍听听力时有时候会听到「quote... unquote」指的就是“引文起…引文止”，英文解释为“said to show that you are repeating someone else's words, especially if you do not agree”，可以理解为念的是引号内的内容，举个🌰：She says they're quote "just good friends" unquote. 她说她们，引号，“只是好朋友而已”，引号完。

2）表示“报价”，英文解释为“to give a price, especially one that will be charged for doing a piece of work”举个🌰：The architect has quoted £90,000 to build a patio. 对露台部分，建筑师开价9万英镑。

The researchers said their studydemonstrated"the pressing matter of exploring a possible decrease in learning skills".

研究人员表示，他们的研究显示出“探索学习能力可能下降的迫切问题”。

demonstrate

demonstrate /ˈdem.ən.streɪt/ 表示“显示；表明”，英文解释为“to show or make something clear”举个🌰：Research has demonstrated that babies can recognize their mother's voice very soon after birth. 研究表明，婴儿出生后很快就能辨识母亲的声音。

All 54 participants were recruited from MIT and nearby universities. Their brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG), which involveselectrodesbeing placed on thescalp.

所有54名参与者均来自麻省理工及附近的大学。他们的大脑活动透过脑电图（EEG）记录，该技术需在头皮上放置电极。

electrode

electrode /iˈlek.trəʊd/ 表示“电极”，英文解释为“the point at which an electric current enters or leaves something, for example, a battery”

scalp

scalp /skælp/ 1）表示“头皮”，英文解释为“the skin on the top of a person's head where hair usually grows”如：a dry/oily/itchy scalp 干燥的/油性的/发痒的头皮；

2）表示“（在竞争或竞选中）击败的人，手下败将；（表示某人已被打败或已受到惩罚的）标志”，英文解释为“someone you defeat in a competition or election；a symbol of the fact that sb has been defeated or punished”举个🌰：They have claimed some impressive scalps in their bid for the championship. 他们已在夺取冠军的征途上获得显著进展。

3）作动词，scalp /skælp/ 表示“倒卖（戏票等）”，英文解释为“to buy things, such as theatre tickets, at the usual prices and then sell them, when they are difficult to get, at much higher prices”

Some of thepromptsused by the participants included asking AI to summarise essay questions, track down sources as well as refine grammar and style.

参与者使用的指令包括请AI总结论文问题、寻找资料来源，以及改善语法和风格。

prompt

prompt /prɒmpt/ 作名词，1）表示“（计算机屏幕上的）提示符（显示计算机已经准备好接受指令）”，英文解释为“a sign on a computer screen that shows that the computer is ready to receive your instructions”

📍在ChatGPT火热的今天，prompt通常指的是给模型的输入，用来激发或引导模型生成特定的输出或回答。简而言之，prompt是指用户提供给语言模型的一段文字或命令，以便模型据此理解用户的需求并给出相应的响应或信息。例如，在与像ChatGPT这样的大语言模型交互时，用户提出的问题或指令就是一个“prompt”。模型会根据这个prompt的内容分析、处理并生成回答或执行相关的任务。Prompt对于大语言模型来说是非常关键的，因为它直接决定了模型如何理解和回应用户的需求。

📍prompt中文里有译为“提示词”，prompt engineering 就是“提示工程/提示词工程”

2）表示“（给演员的）提词，提白”，英文解释为“words that are spoken to an actor who has forgotten what he or she is going to say during the performance of a play”

3）作动词，表示“促使；导致；激起”，英文解释为“to make sb decide to do sth; to cause sth to happen”举个🌰：His speech prompted an angry outburst from a man in the crowd. 他的讲话激起了人群中一男子的愤怒。

📺美剧《斯巴达克斯：血与沙》（Spartacus: Blood and Sand）中的台词提到：One cannot but wonder what would prompt such an act 不知他们为何遭此不幸。

4）作动词，表示“（尤指）给（演员）提词”，英文解释为“to help someone, especially an actor, to remember what they were going to say or do”举个🌰：I forgot my line and had to be prompted. 我忘词了，只好让人提词。

It was also used to generate andarticulateideas - but some users felt AI wasn't very good at this.

AI也被用来生成和阐述想法——但有些使用者认为AI在这方面表现不佳。

articulate

articulate /ɑːˈtɪk.jə.lət/ 1）表示“清楚地表达”，英文解释为“to express in words”举个🌰：I found myself unable to articulate my feelings. 我感到无法用语言来表达我的感情。

2）表示“清晰地吐字；清晰地发音”，英文解释为“to pronounce”举个🌰：When children first learn to talk, there are some sounds that they find difficult to articulate. 小孩子刚学说话时，有一些音他们很难发出来。

'AI makes it too easy to find answers' “AI让找到答案太容易”

Separately, Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft, which operates Copilot, found people's problem-solving skills coulddiminishif they became toorelianton AI.

另一边，卡内基梅隆大学（Carnegie Mellon University）与微软（Copilot的营运方）进行了一项研究，发现如果人们过度依赖AI，他们解决问题的能力可能会下降。

diminish

1）表示“减少；（使）减弱，缩减；降低”，英文解释为“to become or to make sth become smaller, weaker, etc.”举个🌰：His influence has diminished with time. 随着时间的推移，他的影响已不如从前了。

2）表示“贬低；贬损；轻视”，英文解释为“to make sb/sth seem less important than they really are”举个🌰：I don't wish to diminish the importance of their contribution. 我并不想贬低他们所作贡献的重要性。

reliant

reliant /rɪˈlaɪ.ənt/ 表示“依赖的，依靠的”，英文解释为“needing a particular thing or person in order to continue, to work correctly, or to succeed”举个🌰：He's completely reliant on his wheelchair to get about. 他完全依靠轮椅出行。

They surveyed 319white-collarworkers who used AI tools for their jobs at least once per week about how they apply critical thinking when using them.

研究团队调查了319名每周至少使用一次AI工具工作的白领，了解他们在使用AI时如何运用批判性思维。

white-collar

collar /ˈkɒl.ər/ 表示“衣领，领口”，英文解释为“the part around the neck of a piece of clothing, usually sewn on and sometimes made of different material”如：a shirt collar 衬衫领子。

white-collar /ˌwaɪtˈkɒl.ər/ 表示“白领的，非体力劳动的，脑力劳动的”，英文解释为“relating to people who work in offices, doing work that needs mental rather than physical effort”如：white-collar workers/unions 白领工人/工会。

They looked at 900 examples of tasks given to AI, ranging from analysing data for new insights to checking whether a piece of work satisfies particular rules.

他们分析了900个给AI的任务范例，从分析资料以获取新见解，到检查作品是否符合特定规范。

The study found that higher confidence in the tool's ability to perform a task was related to "less critical thinking effort".

这项研究发现，对AI工具完成任务能力的信心与“批判性思维努力减少”有关。

"While GenAI can improve worker efficiency, it caninhibitcritical engagement with work and can potentially lead to long-term overreliance on the tool and diminished skill for independent problem-solving."

“虽然生成式AI可以提高工作效率，但它可能抑制对工作的批判性投入，并可能导致长期过度依赖工具，削弱独立解决问题的能力。”

inhibit

inhibit /ɪnˈhɪb.ɪt/ 1）表示“使…拘谨；使…有顾忌”，英文解释为“to prevent someone from doing something by making them feel nervous or embarrassed ”举个🌰：Some workers were inhibited (from speaking) by the presence of their managers. 一些工人在他们的经理面前不敢讲话。

2）表示“抑制；约束”，英文解释为“to slow down a process or the growth of something”举个🌰：This drug inhibits the growth of tumours. 这种药可以抑制肿瘤的生长。

Schoolchildren in the UK were similarly surveyed for a study published in October by Oxford University Press (OUP).

英国学童也接受了类似调查，该研究由牛津大学出版社（OUP）于十月发表。

It found six in 10 felt AI had negatively impacted their skills in relation to schoolwork.

结果显示，六成学生认为AI对他们学习技能产生负面影响。

So, with the massive explosion of AI use, are our cognitive skills at risk of decline?

那么，随着AI使用的爆炸式增长，我们的认知能力是否面临衰退的风险？

Not necessarily, says Dr Alexandra Tomescu, agenerativeAI specialist at OUP who worked on the school survey.

参与了该学童调查的牛津大学出版社生成式AI专家亚历桑德拉·托梅斯库 （Alexandra Tomescu）博士说，不一定。

generative

generative /ˈdʒen.ər.ə.tɪv/ 表示“有生产能力的；能生成的”，英文解释为“able to produce or create something”如：the generative power of the mind 大脑的生成能力。

📍ChatGPT全名就是：Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer.

📍词根“gen-”来自拉丁语“generare”，表示“产生”，后缀“-ative”表示形容词，即“有产生作用的”。想象生成式AI能够基于现有数据创造新内容。近义词：productive（生产的），同根词：generate（生成），常用短语：generative model（生成模型）

"Our research tells us that nine in 10 students say AI has helped them develop at least one skill related to schoolwork - be it problem-solving, creativity or revision.

“我们的研究显示，九成学生认为AI帮助他们至少提升了一项和学校作业相关的技能——无论是解决问题、创造力还是复习。”

"But at the same time, about a quarter state that AI use made it too easy to do work for them… So [it's] quite anuancedpicture."

“但同时，大约四分之一的学生表示，AI让完成作业变得太容易……所以这是一个相当微妙的情况。”

nuanced

nuanced /ˈnjuː.ɑːnst/ 形容词，是由它的名词 nuance /njuːˈɑːns/ 派生而来，表示“（在外表、意义、感觉、声音等上）有细微差別的”举个🌰：His London accent is very slightly nuanced by an occasional Russian pronunciation. 他的伦敦口音因而时而夹杂的俄语发音而略显不同。

- 词汇盘点 -

tricky、 chunky、 cover letter、 outsource、 cognitive、 quote、 demonstrate、 electrode、 scalp、 prompt、 articulate、 diminish、 reliant、 white-collar、 inhibit、 generative、 nuanced

- 词汇助记 By AI -

A tricky, chunky cover letter to outsource cognitive tasks used a quote to demonstrate electrodes on the scalp; a prompt articulated how generative nuance could diminish reliance, inhibit white-collar habits, yet stay nuanced.

- 推荐阅读 -

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