How Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models Will Impact Meritocracy
Artificial intelligence technologies and large language models could reshape economic value and the perception of social inequality by disrupting traditional intelligence-based meritocracy.
Debates over whether artificial intelligence and large language models will make humans smarter or more foolish bring new questions about the future of the concept of meritocracy.
Cognitive Effects of Artificial Intelligence
While the use of large language models as a substitute in the learning process reduces individuals' mental effort, working like a patient teacher can support learning. This situation can pave the way for educational inequalities to emerge at the societal level, depending on individual curiosity and motivation.
Meritocracy in Historical Process
Historically, the characteristics defining meritokrasi have varied according to the technological environment. While physical capacity once determined productivity, the industrialization process shifted value, and intelligence ultimately came to the forefront in the modern economy.
Intelligence-Based Economic Hierarchy
Current social ideologies associate high labor incomes based on mental abilities with deep moral meaning. This situation has caused the strengthening of hierarchical structures centered on intelligence and the understanding of meritocracy within society.
Transformation of High-Skill Jobs
Artificial intelligence has begun to perform complex tasks, such as coding, which were previously high-cost, at very low costs. The spread of this trend to other mentally heavy job fields carries the potential to weaken the economic value of these traits.
Egalitarian Possibilities and New Structures
The shaking of the current intelligence-based meritocracy hierarchy can offer exciting egalitarian possibilities. However, unless the nature of technological hierarchies is questioned, society could return to new structures of inequality as another indicator of merit replaces intelligence.