"The Serena framing is clever. If Serena Williams-who, according to the advertising firm creating the spot, embodies grit, discipline, and relentless training-uses a GLP-1, then maybe these medications aren't cheating. Maybe removing the friction and struggle of weight loss is better than clinging to "no pain, no gain," especially if the result is better health."
"Parents, teachers, and employers worry that AI will deskill us-especially our kids. Why learn to write if a chatbot can produce an essay in seconds? Why do the math if an app can show the work? The fear is that AIs, like GLP-1s, are becoming shortcuts that let us dodge the hard part."
"So the question becomes: If we use a tool like GLP-1s or AI, does that automatically make us lazy? I don't think it does. But it can. And that "can" is where the real nuance lives."
The debate over whether AI and GLP-1 medications represent harmful shortcuts reflects deeper anxieties about effort and discipline in modern life. Serena Williams' Super Bowl advertisement for GLP-1s frames these medications not as cheating but as friction-reducing tools that enable better health outcomes. Similarly, AI tools can either enhance human capability or enable avoidance of necessary skill development. The critical distinction lies not in the tools themselves but in user intention and behavior. Parents, teachers, and employers fear that AI will deskill younger generations by removing the struggle from learning and work. However, tools are morally neutral; their value depends entirely on how individuals choose to integrate them into their lives and whether they use them to augment effort or replace it entirely.
#ai-and-human-effort #glp-1-medications #tool-usage-and-discipline #deskilling-concerns #shortcuts-versus-enhancement
Read at Psychology Today
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