Artificial Intelligence and the Illusion of Knowledge

In a follower’s profile on social media, a girl wrote that she could take my work to the top, introducing herself as a business developer. I really liked the idea and started looking for work she had done before, but the shock was that it hadn’t been a year since she graduated!

The great development we are witnessing in the field of artificial intelligence has made its tools provide immediate solutions and answers to various questions that humans ask. Thanks to the ease of access to these tools, a bubble of claiming knowledge has emerged that is based on direct answers without diving into the depths of real knowledge. Some people have come to believe that using artificial intelligence applications is sufficient to become experts in certain fields, which has led to underestimating the value of experience and underestimating the importance of the effort required to acquire real knowledge.

This bubble has clearly reflected our perceptions of expertise. In the past, acquiring the title of “expert” required years of study, practice, and deep analysis. Now, for example, we find people presenting themselves as experts in recruitment or marketing after a few months of using artificial intelligence tools. This trend appears in various fields, as it has become common for an ordinary user of these applications to make critical judgments on literary or scientific works based on ready-made answers from artificial intelligence instead of delving into them himself.

This phenomenon is similar to what the Holy Quran described as the foam that floats on the surface of water. Artificial intelligence provides a huge amount of information, but it does not give us the ability to distinguish what is useful from what is not, nor does it teach us how to analyze this information or link it to deeper cognitive contexts. The foam appears bright for a moment, but it does not last, unlike what benefits people and remains on the earth. This philosophical analogy clarifies the difference between true knowledge, which requires effort and understanding, and superficial knowledge that quickly disappears.

Over-reliance on AI tools may lead to intellectual laziness. Instead of seeking to understand and analyze information, people are satisfied with the results provided by these tools, believing that they represent the whole truth. This approach makes it easy for individuals to lose the ability to think critically and creatively, as they become mere consumers of information without the ability to produce or evaluate knowledge independently. AI tools are like fast food, which may satisfy us for a moment, but they do not give us the deep intellectual nourishment that comes from real research and learning.

However, the role of real experts remains essential in directing this technological development towards what benefits people. Real expertise is not just knowledge of available information, but rather the ability to employ it correctly and develop new insights that go beyond the surface to the depths. Experts must remain a voice that enhances the value of intellectual effort and shows the difference between temporary knowledge based on tools and permanent knowledge built on deep understanding.

Artificial intelligence tools represent a great technological breakthrough, but they are not a substitute for human thinking or individual effort. We must deal with them with caution and not be deceived by their temporary brilliance. True knowledge is that which is based on depth and experience, not that which is acquired easily and quickly.

The knowledge bubble promoted by AI applications may seem attractive, but in reality it does not replace hard work and critical thinking. We must always remember that what benefits people is what remains on the ground, and we must distinguish between the moment’s shiny foam and the solid foundation that remains. With this understanding, we can benefit from AI tools without losing the essence of the cognitive process.