My favourite part of my cycle to work is the steep hill I have to climb just before I reach the office. I switch my e-bike’s power setting to maximum and sail smugly upwards, saying a silent prayer of thanks to whoever invented such wonderful technology.
By the time I am old, I might be similarly grateful to the inventors of “everyday exoskeletons”: devices such as bionic trainers and robotic hip belts that are designed to help older people with declining mobility to stay more active than they could otherwise manage.
Is artificial intelligence a similar sort of technology — only for the brain, rather than the body? Researchers who conducted an experiment into AI use with consultants at Boston Consulting Group drew this comparison. The technology was “enhancing workers’ capabilities while they attempt new skills”, they found, but “when the ‘exoskeleton’ is removed, little to no knowledge is retained independently”.