We should be fighting artificial distraction – not artificial intelligence

Concerns about large language models (LLMs) posing a threat to traditional pedagogy stem partly from the broader issue of declining attention spans due to social media.
The argument that LLMs are undermining critical thinking overlooks trends evident before AI’s rise, such as those influenced by the internet in the 1990s.
While some view LLMs as fostering passivity, they actually offer tailored learning and support that can enhance cognitive ability when deep attention is maintained.
Social media companies’ profit models focus on short engagement, which has fragmented attention spans and reduced sustained learning habits long before LLMs became prominent.
To address these underlying issues, regulators should focus on the problem of attention fragmentation caused by social media, not on artificially limiting the use of LLMs.
Comparisons to drugs draw parallels between social media’s addictive nature and the need for regulatory and educational intervention to support sustained attention and deep cognitive processing.
Ultimately, protecting human intelligence in the age of LLMs means combatting artificial distractions presented by social media rather than focusing narrowly on AI tools.