Automatic Gears and AI: The Comfort, the Risk, and the Human Role

The experience of using a vehicle with automatic gears came with ambivalence and excitement. On one hand, it was pleasantly easy and less physically and psychologically demanding. I understood why many people like their cars to be automatic. On the other hand, it was also associated with fears that some aspects of my driving skills could atrophy over time due to automation. Moreover, there were worries that a person might become overconfident due to automation.

Interestingly, the experience revealed several similarities between manual and automatic gears and people's growing relationship with AI. As it turns out, people find them equally attractive for the reason that the technologies allow them to perform their tasks easier.

Firstly, like the gear box system, AI systems reduce the need to put significant effort into operational actions such as information search, analysis, structuring, calculation, and processing. In both cases, the machine absorbs a part of the effort.

Secondly, there is a similar phenomenon of cognitive ease and comfort. People feel reluctant to switch from comfortable systems to manual labour. They feel resistance because, after some time, driving automatically feels natural and easy. In a similar way, the constant use of AI tools may make the process of information analysis, report writing, and decision-making less and less challenging.

Thirdly, there is a parallel between automatic systems and AI in the shift from operational activities to supervisory and managerial roles. In the case of automatic gears, the driver is responsible for controlling the direction of movement, road safety, and the overall driving process, while the car takes care of gears and other technical aspects. Similarly, people using AI tools can limit their role to validating system recommendations and implementing outputs.

Fourthly, both technologies introduce hidden complexity. While gearboxes operate on complex technical principles, their operation becomes transparent to drivers. AI also makes people blind to the complex processes and computations occurring behind convenient user interfaces.

Finally, both types of technologies pose the risk of overtrust. Drivers may be prone to inattention because everything is working fine. Likewise, AI users may fail to develop critical thinking and analytical abilities since the machine provides all necessary answers instantly.

It should be noted, however, that in the case of automatic gear systems, responsibility does not fall on the machine either. While it helps to avoid manual operations, the driver is responsible for safety, decision-making, and monitoring the environment. AI is similar. Regardless of the amount of work done by the computer, humans bear responsibility for making decisions, judging situations, interpreting information, and implementing ethical norms and policies.

Furthermore, the skill set of a person driving automatic and manual cars may differ in the way that the latter needs additional attention. Likewise, skills connected to deep reading, writing, decision-making, and analytical reasoning may deteriorate over time in the case of people constantly delegating them to AI.

On the other hand, automatic gears affect mechanical skills, whereas AI tends to have a stronger effect on cognitive, managerial, communication-related, and reasoning skills. Thus, the latter can have profound impacts on people's cognitive habits, organisational authority structures, and ways of thinking and reasoning.

Most of my fears regarding driving automatically disappeared quite soon. After all, I realised that automatic gears did not take anything away from me because the technology only helped and did not replace me in any way. I continued to pay full attention and to stay mentally prepared. Using AI is expected to be similar because the tool should help but not substitute.

Thus, humans should use AI tools to reduce repetitive actions and boost productivity, but not to give up thinking and making judgments. People should continue to engage in manual tasks for mental exercise once in a while. In terms of AI, such activities could include independent report writing and data analysis as well as having discussions with coworkers about different ideas and opinions.

Therefore, the crucial question here is not about how intelligent