Wrong question.
We’re not asking if calculators are cheating at arithmetic.
The real question is: what are we trying to measure?
When we say “no calculators allowed,” we’re testing computation. When we say “no AI allowed,” what exactly are we testing?
Skills matter. But which ones?
Twenty years ago, memorizing phone numbers was a life skill. Today it’s irrelevant.
Ten years ago, writing formulaic business emails was valuable. Now it’s a waste of human potential.
Tomorrow’s essential skills won’t be about competing with machines at machine tasks.
They’ll be about amplifying what makes us human: Judgment. Insight. Wisdom. Emotional intelligence. Creative synthesis.
Tools change. Human ingenuity remains.
The calculator didn’t eliminate the need for mathematical thinking. It elevated it.
AI won’t eliminate the need for human thinking. It will demand more of it.
The real question isn’t whether AI is cheating.
It’s whether we’re cheating ourselves by asking the wrong question.
