Welcome to the first episode of The Silicon Synapse Show! Alongside the wonderful Dr Shama Rahman, we’ve started this podcast so we can dive into the fascinating intersection of AI, neuroscience, and creativity. Why you say? Well, we’re like two halves of the same brain—me with my background in creativity and AI, and Shama, a neuroscientist, artist, and musician with a much fancier set of qualifications. Together, we’ll be exploring how AI affects our brains, our work, and the future of human creativity.
We were blown away by all the live interactions from viewers across the globe—Canada, the Philippines, Barcelona, New York, Greece, and the UK! You folks made this debut episode so much more exciting with your comments and questions. It’s great to have you on board as we geek out about the brain and AI.
*At the end of this article I will summarise the technology discussed during the podcast.
Kicking Things Off With AI
We couldn’t start the show without bringing AI into it. First off, we used Runway, a powerful AI tool for video editing and image generation, to create the show’s title and some visuals. It wasn’t perfect, though, in one experiment, it turned an image of me into some weird unrecognisable version of myself—completely off, but hilarious nonetheless. The AI didn’t quite get the essence of me! (but can it?)
Then we had ChatGPT introduce us with some sarcastic bios. It was fun, but of course, the AI messed up on pronouncing Shama’s name and got my last name wrong too. So, we had a bit of a laugh at how even smart tools like this have some hiccups when it comes to cultural nuance and detail.
Neuroscience, AI, And Cognitive Health
Our main topic for this show was about how AI might be affecting our cognitive health. We dug into a couple of research papers to give some context on what’s already being said.
“The Challenges of Our Innate Cognitive Abilities and Mental Well-Being from the Socio-Cultural and Environmental Costs of Hyperconnectivity”
This paper examines how our increasing reliance on digital devices—though not directly AI—might be changing our brain function. It looks at things like attention span, memory, and the rise of automation in the workplace, which leads to a loss of purpose for many. I spoke about how this ties into motivation in the workplace, specifically through the lens of autonomy, mastery, and purpose. When AI takes over tasks, it can remove that sense of ownership and skill-building that humans need to stay motivated. AI agents, like workflow automation tools, could be eroding these key drivers of job satisfaction.“From Tools to Threats: A Reflection on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots on Cognitive Health”
This opinion piece introduced the idea of “AI-induced cognitive atrophy” (AICIA—don’t love that acronym). The idea here is that if we start relying too much on AI tools like ChatGPT, we might see a decline in our brain’s natural cognitive abilities, like memory, problem-solving, and creative thinking. It’s all about the “use it or lose it” principle. If we don’t actively engage our brains, we may start to lose some of those neural pathways we’ve developed.
Shama talked about how this aligns with the concept of neural pruning—when we stop using certain cognitive skills, our brain literally gets rid of those connections. This could be an issue for younger generations who may never develop these critical skills in the first place because they’re so used to outsourcing memory and problem-solving to AI.
AI’s Role In Creative Work
One of the big takeaways from this episode was about AI’s impact on creativity. People often think AI can replace human creativity, but we argue that it can’t. As someone who’s worked as a poet for the BBC, I can tell you that what AI generates isn’t “bad” per se, but it’s far from excellent. It’s adequate at best. People with zero skill in a certain area—like writing poetry—might think AI-generated content is amazing because it’s better than what they could do. But for those of us with experience, we see how much it’s lacking.
AI can be a useful collaborator, though. Shama and I talked about how tools like Neurocreate, which Shama developed, use AI not to replace the creative process but to enhance it. Neurocreate is built on the neuroscience of creativity and helps guide people through the various stages of ideation without taking away the actual creative work. It’s a great example of how AI can support and augment human creativity rather than replacing it.
Viewer Questions
Throughout the episode, we received some brilliant questions from the audience. One that really stood out was about whether AI is dumbing down information by simplifying complex topics. I shared that, while it can feel like that sometimes, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to make information more accessible. However, there’s a line between making things clear and oversimplifying to the point where meaning is lost.
We also discussed the potential benefits and dangers of AI in education. I shared my experience teaching in VR, using tools like Meta Quest 3, and how immersive technology can offer a whole new way to teach and learn. VR, combined with AI, could be a game-changer for future classrooms.
Wrapping Up
In the end, this first episode was about setting the stage for what’s to come—deep dives into how AI impacts creativity, neuroscience, and human behavior. We want to explore the good, the bad, and the weird when it comes to AI, and we’ll bring in guests from all sorts of fields, from science to the arts, to keep the conversation dynamic and relevant.
Thanks for tuning in and making the debut such a fun and interactive experience! If you missed it, you can still watch it here enjoy the conversation.
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The Technology & Research Papers
1. Runway AI
This AI tool is used for video editing and image generation, which Dave and Sha used to generate some visuals for the show. The tool provides creative AI features like real-time video editing, text-to-image models, and more. You can explore Runway AI here.
2. ChatGPT
They used ChatGPT, OpenAI’s conversational model, for humorous and sarcastic bios of themselves. This AI model is used for generating human-like text and performing a variety of language tasks. More information on ChatGPT can be found here.
3. Meta Quest 3 (VR)
Dave mentioned using Meta Quest 3 to teach in a virtual reality environment. This device offers immersive experiences, enabling users to interact with digital worlds, which can also be used in educational settings. You can learn more about Meta Quest 3 here.
4. Neurocreate
Dr Shama mentioned using NeuroCreate, a pioneering neurodesign agency that bridges neuroscience and creativity through an inclusive approach to unlocking peak human potential and fostering creativity and well-being. You can learn more about NeuroCreate here.
Research Papers
“The Challenges of Our Innate Cognitive Abilities and Mental Well-Being from the Socio-Cultural and Environmental Costs of Hyperconnectivity” This paper looks at how our increasing reliance on digital devices affects brain functions like attention, memory, and cognitive health. You can find more details about this research paper here (Emerald)(Emerald)
“From Tools to Threats: A Reflection on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots on Cognitive Health” This paper discusses how overuse of AI chatbots, referred to as “AIC-induced cognitive atrophy,” could weaken cognitive abilities like memory and problem-solving. You can find more details about this research paper here (Frontiers in Psychology).
