Steve Jobs once described the computer as *The Bicycle of the Mind.* ![[Einstein on bicycle.png]] He could have said *race car* or *jet plane,* but he choose something human-powered intentionally. That the human mind provides the power - the machine makes it better. What do we get if we play out this metaphor to the age of AI? While I like the idea of an *Iron Man Suit*, the overwhelming machine makes the human's strength irrelvant. The bicycle leverages human power and the rider actually becomes fitter. The Iron Man Suit allows the human to weaken and atrophy. Sadly, I worry that AI turns into the *Hoverchairs* on Axiom in the movie *WALL-E.* ![[Hoverchairs from WALLE.png]] We can avoid this atrophying by remaining vigilent against what's called *cognative surrender.* This is the tendency to overly rely on AI chatbots for answers without checking. And worse, outsourcing thinking itself to AI. That's the difference between a bicycle and a hoverchair. PS: Watch Jobs talk about The Bicyle of the Mind on YouTube (1:17) [here](https://youtu.be/KmuP8gsgWb8?si=2WSQ2QjatKKsE7Ra)