In this episode of The Ruffian’s podcast we ask whether the price of using increasingly smart machines is increasingly stupid humans. My guest is Daisy Christodoulou, director of education at No More Marking, and my favourite thinker on learning and education.

Daisy recently wrote a Substack post asking whether we live in a ‘stupidogenic society’ – just as it’s said that we live in an ‘obesogenic environment’ – one that tends to cause stupidity. She argues that our use of technology to substitute for cognitive skills has got to the point where human intelligence is in decline, a claim she supports with evidence.

Daisy is no Luddite. She works for an edtech company. She acknowledges that modern technologies are incredibly useful, indeed indispensable. But she’s interested in the trade-offs we’re making between utility and intelligence, and in what the optimal point might be. She also gives her view on how schools should adapt to this environment.

I hope you enjoy our excellent, somewhat intelligent conversation, which is available on all the usual podcast platforms.

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