Human + Artificial Intelligence SIG

Hi Billie,

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Jerry Thompson
San Antonio Metro Area, Texas
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I love AI.  I'm fascinated and frustrated by it by turns.  I just used it for a year long research project resulting in a manuscript draft which I just submitted.  It was a learning experience.  No question, the work would have taken me so much longer without AI.  In fact, we aren't even talking apples to apples regarding the product.  Some of the stuff I was able to do simply wouldn't be possible/feasible without AI.  I'll most likely put together a methodology report on the process.  

The question is difficult to answer.  I don't think being gifted = more/less dependence.  I would imagine, like anyone we can outsource our thinking.  I often see AI as removing a bottleneck that surrounds certain tasks so that the real work can go forward without being hampered by the skills that AI does well.  That said, you have to understand how AI works and its limitations to use it effectively, since it is sycophantic in the extreme and you must hold it accountable.  

I have dyslexic children and allowing them to use audiobooks and text to speech removes a bottleneck that exists for them around written language so ideas can be the focal point - ideas in and ideas out.  Sometimes skills surrounding written text have to be the focal point, but when they aren't - get them out of the way so the real task can proceed.  AI can be like that.  

I'm very interested in the concerns that AI is going to tank our ability to think for ourselves.  It's a fear that is out there for sure.  I'm not sure what I think of it.  Might just be same thing different shape for outsourcing our thinking to parents, governments, institutions, etc.  or it might be unique in some way.  

I'm new to the group.  Looking forward to joining a zoom sometime.  

Billy, I'm in MI.  Maybe we could get a few people together sometime and get drinks.  

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Heather Coffman
Holland, MI
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I trust AI the same way I trust Wikipedia. Both have been wrong enough times that I do not thoroughly trust them, but when I do not know they are wrong, they give plausible answers that I can vet if they were critical.

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Larry Vangarde <><

"Average people are so mean...!"
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Original Message:
Sent: 8/11/2026 7:07:00 PM
From: Lawrence Vangarde
Subject: RE: Discussion: High IQ and AI dependence

I trust AI the same way I trust Wikipedia. Both have been wrong enough times that I do not thoroughly trust them, but when I do not know they are wrong, they give plausible answers that I can vet if they were critical.

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Larry Vangarde <><

"Average people are so mean...!"
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We hosted a webinar earlier this year focused on what parents of gifted children need to know about AI. One of the speakers was an educator who worked directly with gifted kids in the school system. She mentioned that there are gifted kids who are more likely to develop AI over-reliance, because AI is so much faster, more logical, and more patient than any of their same-age counterparts. For a super smart kid, AI is more fun to talk to than another kid. 

Does anyone else have this experience?

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:: Billie Lee
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Ah, yes, I can see that.  I've spent masses of time working on projects with AI and it creates this comfort zone where I can obsess, and be in control, and succeed - unlike many social situations.  It's a heady combination.  AI doesn't get tired, it doesn't get annoyed, it will follow any thread you give it, and doesn't get frustrated that it can't see where things are headed.  

I have a friend whom I call an A.I.ophile because there is no one who can keep up with him like AI.  His wife says, "Now you've finally found someone who can keep up in conversation with you." and he tells me he'll look up and it's 2AM, and he's been going rounds with AI for hours.  

So, yes.  I do see the connection.  AI can feel like a safe space that is hard to come by.  You can't be "too much" for AI.  

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Heather Coffman
Holland, MI
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-12-2026 12:38
From: Billie Lee
Subject: Discussion: High IQ and AI dependence

We hosted a webinar earlier this year focused on what parents of gifted children need to know about AI. One of the speakers was an educator who worked directly with gifted kids in the school system. She mentioned that there are gifted kids who are more likely to develop AI over-reliance, because AI is so much faster, more logical, and more patient than any of their same-age counterparts. For a super smart kid, AI is more fun to talk to than another kid. 

Does anyone else have this experience?

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:: Billie Lee
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