Understanding the crucial difference between not knowing and refusing to learn.
Ignorance is not knowing. It's corrigible—we can learn. Stupidity, as we use the term here, is refusing to update in the face of evidence, or weaponizing ignorance. In an era of AI-generated misinformation, that distinction matters enormously.
AI can amplify both. It can help us overcome ignorance by making knowledge accessible. It can also amplify stupidity by feeding echo chambers and generating persuasive falsehoods. The difference lies in human choice: whether we seek to learn or to confirm what we already believe.
This essay is part of the Intelligence Amplifier collection. For the full piece and related dialogues, explore the books and conversations on this site.