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Hey Weirdos,
Welcome back to the weekly drop. Two new episodes hit this week, and while they tackle completely different aspects of artificial intelligence, they share one uncomfortable truth: AI is exploiting our human weaknesses.
Whether it's our tendency toward intellectual laziness or our biological default to trust, the machines are finding the cracks in our armor. The antidote in both cases is the same: we have to become more intentional, more self-aware, and more human—not less.
Let's get into it.
The Reverse Flynn Effect: Are We Getting Dumber?
We've all heard the promise that AI will make us superhuman. But what if it's actually doing the opposite?
In this week's first episode, I sat down with Paul Slater. Paul spent over a decade at Microsoft leading global digital transformation initiatives before leaving to co-found Billion Minds, a Techstars-backed company dedicated to building durable human skills for the AI era. He's the author of the new book The AI-Ready Human.
Paul introduced me to a terrifying concept: the "Reverse Flynn Effect." For decades, human intelligence was steadily rising. But around the year 2000, that trend reversed. We are, statistically speaking, getting dumber. And passive AI use might be accelerating the decline.
Here's what stopped me in my tracks during this conversation:
Friction is where learning happens. Tech companies spend billions removing friction, but we need to intentionally reintroduce it to grow.
Learning by osmosis is dying. Remote work combined with AI doing the heavy lifting means we're no longer internalizing knowledge.
The "Magnificent Seven" capabilities. To survive, we need to focus on resilience and adaptability. Paul suggests spending 10 minutes a day actively stretching yourself to become a modern "polymath."
"If you're not a bit afraid, you're not paying attention. A small amount of fear that causes us to pick the future we want is something that is healthy, and we should cultivate."
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The $600K Scam: Why Your Brain is the Flaw
Imagine liquidating your investments and refinancing your home, only to watch $600,000 vanish into thin air. That's exactly what happened to a couple in their 70s who fell victim to an AI-powered pig butchering scam.
In this week's second episode, I spoke with Robert Siciliano, a private investigator, #1 bestselling author, and CEO of Protect Now LLC. Robert has spent 30 years telling audiences not to worry about hackers. Now, for the first time, he's officially worried.
The problem isn't the technology; it's us. We have a "Human Blind Spot." We are an interdependent species biologically wired to trust. AI has stripped away all the clumsy red flags of traditional fraud, weaponizing our trust at scale.
Here are the terrifying realities we discussed:
Neural puppetry. Criminals are using deepfakes and voice cloning to achieve near-100% accuracy in impersonation.
The $124 trillion wealth transfer. The baby boomer generation is the most trusting, least tech-savvy, and most moneyed generation in history—and they are the primary targets.
Loneliness is the weapon. 25% of humans wake up lonely every day. Scammers use AI to automate the grooming process, preying on that pain.
"AI has truly stripped away all of the clumsy red flags of traditional fraud. Criminals now use neural puppetry to create the perfect lie."
The Common Thread
Two very different conversations. Two very similar warnings. Whether AI is quietly eroding our ability to learn or actively weaponizing our trust to steal our life savings, the threat is real. But so is the solution. We have to stop being passive consumers of technology and start actively protecting our minds and our assets.
What's one way you're intentionally adding "friction" back into your life to keep your mind sharp? Hit reply and let me know.
Until next week,
Stay weird.
Cody
The Weird Canadian Podcast drops two new episodes every week. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss one.