- Question
Are smart phones making us smarter?
Smart phone processing power is radically improving, VR, AI... powerful mini computers in our pockets. And the phones are now part of (and even control) every aspect of our lives. Is it possible that they are now smarter than we are?
Yes, smart phones are making us smarter
Proponents of this position hold that smart phones are making people smarter: that constant access to information, tools and other minds expands what a person can work out, and that intelligence is measured by what someone can do rather than by what they hold in memory.
No, smart phones are not making us smarter
Those who hold this position argue that smart phones are not making people smarter: that constant retrieval replaces understanding, that the devices are built to fragment attention rather than to inform, and that access to answers is not the possession of knowledge.