Intelligence is procedural now

It’s typically much easier to upskill on procedural or declarative skills (just follow these steps/checklist or memorize these facts), compared to cognitive or creative skills (like analyze a situation and come up with a solution, or to compose great music). The path to developing higher order general intelligence is murky and abstract; probably a mix of natural ability and years of varied exposure and practice. Therefore it’s harder and longer to train and change. 

Good news is that with GenAI, intelligence has become procedural now. Just ask ChatGPT to analyze the situation, suggest relevant frameworks and analogies, effective ideas, or to critically improve your approach. And lo…you’re immediately operating at a higher cognitive level! This was simply not possible before. It’s similar to how arithmetic turned from a mental ability to punching numbers into a calculator. 

Most people use Chatgpt to improve their writing (with mixed results), but I think the bigger application is to use it to improve their thinking. You may not get to an exceptional A+ solution, but you are guaranteed a B or B+ in most domains! The floor for intelligence, cognition, and creativity has risen; people just need to remember to follow the procedure now. 

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