To the Editor:
Re “A.I. Is Already Reshaping Us,” by Ezra Klein (column, April 5):
Mr. Klein’s thoughtful column clarifies what is at stake for those who continue to believe that A.I. is simply another tool in a long line of technological innovations. The erosion of human agency is growing, lending credibility to A.I.’s threat to human sovereignty.
One of the most important points made by Mr. Klein was the development of “skills and capacities” essential to meaningful thinking, something that requires mental labor. There is no doubt in my mind that “cognitive surrender” is antithetical to real learning and human development, which requires imagination along with sound reasoning.
Creative thinking, whether with words, symbols, images or any medium, is always a matter of refining the original thought or inspiration, although not necessarily for the sake of publication. For many of us, creative thinking and the hard work that it requires are done primarily for ourselves, for our fuller development as human beings, and if we are fortunate, also for those who can appreciate our efforts.
Paul Forte Wakefield, R.I.
To the Editor:
Ezra Klein is right to worry that A.I. may weaken some of our habits of thought. But many critics miss what these tools are giving people who have long had to think, write and create in near-total isolation.
A.I. does not replace human love or friendship, and it is not wiser than human beings in any ultimate sense. But it can offer something many people have been starved of: sustained intellectual companionship.
Much of the criticism comes from people who already trust their own minds, can write through insecurity or have editors, peers, spouses, colleagues or professional networks around them. They may not grasp what it means to have none of that.
To them, friction feels noble. But to someone who has repeatedly lost heart in the middle of trying to bring something meaningful into the world, friction can be a graveyard.
For some of us, A.I. does not replace thinking. It helps us keep going.
Mary Beth Fielder Los Angeles
Reflections on the Pope
To the Editor:
As someone who was raised Catholic but who hasn’t been inside a church in over 60 years, I am ready to rethink my abandonment of religion, thanks to Pope Leo XIV.
The pope seems not only wonderfully kind and embracing but, unlike Republican politicians in our country who continue to turn a blind eye to an increasingly erratic and dangerous president, he also had the courage to speak up.
While we were never a perfect country; decades of racism and the Vietnam War stain our legacy. But never did we envision the crude indecency of a man so clearly limited in empathy and intellect as our current president. Or the joyous embrace by so many voters who managed to elect him twice, thinking he would offer them a ride on his golden escalator.
Thank you, Pope Leo, for reminding us of what faith means and for offering solace to Americans who struggle to live in a country that has dangerously lost its way.
Cathy Bernard New York
To the Editor:
What has happened to the United States that Pope Leo XIV would feel it necessary to say he has “no fear of the Trump administration”?
Joan Price Boase Courtenay, British Columbia
The Healing Power of I.C.U. Nurses
To the Editor:
Re “For Many Leaving the I.C.U., the Struggle Continues” (Science Times, April 7):
This article on post-I.C.U. syndrome importantly highlights the long recovery many patients face after critical illness, but it misses an essential part of the story: Nurses are among the leading experts in preventing, detecting and helping mitigate I.C.U. delirium, one of the major contributors to poor post-I.C.U. outcomes.
Research shows that nursing care can play a major role in lowering the risk of delirium in the I.C.U. Nurses assess patients for early signs of confusion by reminding them where they are and what is happening. They protect patients’ sleep, help them sit up, move and walk when it is safe, and involve family members in care and reassurance.
Nurses are central not just to delirium prevention and recovery, but also to helping patients and families through one of the most vulnerable periods of illness.
Richard Ricciardi Washington The writer is a professor at the George Washington University School of Nursing.
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