Sir Richard Francis Burton, by the time he died in 1890, spoke 25 languages and 15 dialects. He had written books on topics as wide-ranging as fencing, falconry, and ethnographyThe scientific description of peoples and cultures with their customs and habits..¹

In spite of all our advances in knowledge and technology, there is no modern-day Burton.

And now some think our advances in knowledge and technology are actually a problem.

Evidence collected by the OECDThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. suggests that standard scores in numeracyThe ability to understand and use numbers. and literacyThe ability to read and write. are declining in the wealthy world.

The drop is sharpest among teenagers, whose average scores have fallen by almost 15 points in reading and more than 20 in maths since 2006.²

This sudden change coincides almost exactly with the widespread adoption of smartphones.

Studies have found just the presence of a phone distracts us.³ A reduced attention span makes it harder for us to think and learn.

Phones also affect our memory. Because we can simply look up anything that we cannot immediately call to mind, we do not exercise our memories as we used to.

If technology is the problem, then there is every reason to think that it will get worse. The rise of AI chatbotsComputer programs that simulate conversation with human end-users. threatens to impact negatively on our remaining cognitiveRelating to the processes of thinking and reasoning. faculties.

One of our most important intellectual strengths is the ability to read large amounts of information, analyse it, and synthesiseTo combine information from multiple sources. it into a more digestible form. It is a skill that every school qualification and every academic degree is intended to test to some extent.

But the evidence suggests that people from all walks of life, from students to professionals, now outsource this activity to generative AIA type of AI that can create new content and ideas, including conversations, stories, images, videos, and music. such as ChatGPT.

It is easy to imagine a future world in which we never have to use our brains at all, except to order different technologies to manipulate information on our behalf.

But others say we should welcome this. They claim phones are analogousSomething that is similar to another thing. to the invention of the book.

Before writing, all information had to be memorised. Literacy allowed us to commit it to the page, which meant no longer using our memories as much.

But writing enabled people to share information over a much wider area and across time. Even as it made individuals' brains less effective, it increased the intelligence of the species as a whole. Modern technology may be doing the same thing.

Could screens be to blame? 

Yes: AnecdotalBased on personal accounts rather than facts or evidence. evidence has long pointed to this conclusion, and now the evidence confirms it. Screens distract us, ruin our sleep, and degrade our memories. It is time to kick our smartphone habit.

No: There are many factors at play here. MicroplasticsMicroplastics are fragments of degraded plastic that are less than five millimetres in length. They are blown into the atmosphere and transported by ocean currents.  in our brains, geopolitical stresses causing a rise in anxiety, specialisation of knowledge - all could be responsible for a drop in our intelligence.

Or... Screens are neither good nor evil; what matters is how we use them. They can teach us new things or they can distract us with time-wasting nonsense. It is a question of self-discipline.

Ethnography - The scientific description of peoples and cultures with their customs and habits.

OECD - The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

numeracy - The ability to understand and use numbers.

Literacy - The ability to read and write.

AI Chatbots - Computer programs that simulate conversation with human end-users.

Cognitive - Relating to the processes of thinking and reasoning.

Synthesise - To combine information from multiple sources.

Generative AI - A type of AI that can create new content and ideas, including conversations, stories, images, videos, and music.

Analogous - Something that is similar to another thing.

Anecdotal - Based on personal accounts rather than facts or evidence.

Microplastics - Microplastics are fragments of degraded plastic that are less than five millimetres in length. They are blown into the atmosphere and transported by ocean currents.