Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has warned that social media and artificial intelligence are dangerous tools changing the way people think and reducing their ability to focus.
She spoke on the growing impact of digital culture, saying that while books help the mind to stay sharp and deepen thought, digital platforms weaken attention and shorten concentration.
Naijaonpoint reports that the writer expressed concern that many people now accept technology without questioning it.
She said social media and artificial intelligence are being driven by a few individuals whose decisions affect everyone, stressing that this reality should not go unchallenged.
She added that the world has not even reached a clear agreement on the purpose of artificial intelligence, yet it is already shaping lives in powerful ways.
The author further lamented that the number of people who still value literature is shrinking because of constant digital distractions.
She called for renewed attention to reading culture, warning that while artificial intelligence may have useful possibilities, it could bring harmful consequences if not carefully managed.
She said, “The thing social media can never do for us is what literature does for us… It’s actually quite bad for our brains.
“It’s rewiring our brains and compressing our ability to focus. Literature does the opposite.
“There is a kind of unquestioning acceptance of social technologies that surprises me. We should question more, social media, AI.
“The few people deciding how our future as human beings should be is troubling.
“This is the time to question AI, because we haven’t even reached a global consensus on what it is supposed to do.”
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