“There will always be stupid people. There will always be smart people. Google is a tool. Like the calculator before it, this tool can be used by smart people to solve amazing problems, and it can also be used by stupid people as a crutch. Google doesn’t ‘make’ people anything.” —David Cohn, director of Spot.US, citizen journalism expert

“Every time I read or hear a discussion revolving around how Google will make us stupid, it triggers a line from the movie Forest Gump, ‘Stupid is as stupid does.’ It’s about choices; Google is a tool. The tool doesn’t make us anything; it’s how we use the tool that matters. Use the tool to tap the wealth of information on the Internet and learn, or not—that’s the choice.” —David Moskowitz, principal consultant at Productivity Solutions Inc. and lead editor of OS/2 Warp Unleashed, a consultant and editor on new and emerging technology

“To be more precise, unthinking use of the Internet, and in particular untutored use of Google, has the ability to make us stupid, but that is not a foregone conclusion. More and more of us experience attention deficit, like Bruce Friedman in the Nicholas Carr article, but that alone does not stop us making good choices provided that the ‘factoids’ of information are sound that we use to make our decisions. The potential for stupidity comes where we rely on Google (or Yahoo, or Bing, or any engine) to provide relevant information in response to poorly constructed queries, frequently one-word queries, and then base decisions or conclusions on those returned items.” —Peter Griffiths, independent information specialist and former head of information at the Home Office within the Office of the Chief Information Officer, United Kingdom

“The problem isn’t Google; it’s what Google helps us find. For some, Google will let them find useless content that does not challenge their minds. But for others, Google will lead them to expect answers to questions, to explore the world, to see and think for themselves.” —Esther Dyson, founder and chief executive officer of EDventure, investor and serial board member, journalist and commentator on emerging digital technology

“People are already using Google as an adjunct to their own memory. For example, I have a hunch about something, need facts to support, and Google comes through for me. Sometimes,