- Heavy reliance on AI like ChatGPT may reduce human cognitive engagement and creativity
- Study at MIT with 54 students showed ChatGPT users had up to 55% lower brain activity
- Search engine users activated mainly visual cortex; non-tech users showed widespread brain activity
A yet-to-be-published MIT Media Lab study led by research scientist Nataliya Kosmyna has highlighted that heavy reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) might be making humans stupider. To analyse the neurological impact of Large Language Models (LLMs), researchers recruited 54 students for an essay-writing experiment divided into three groups. One was instructed to use ChatGPT. A second could use Google search, with AI-generated summaries turned off. The third didn't use technology. By monitoring brainwaves during the process, the researchers measured how these tools were changing cognitive engagement.
Those using their own minds to write the essays had a brain that was "on fire", meaning it showed widespread activity across different parts of the brain. Search engine users primarily engaged their visual cortex, while the ChatGPT group displayed significantly lower overall brain activity, with reductions of up to 55 per cent recorded.
"The brain didn't fall asleep, but there was much less activation in the areas corresponding to creativity and to processing information," Kosmyna was quoted as saying by BBC.
The study's findings could have significant implications for educational policy and the integration of AI in professional settings. With the development of AI tools not stopping any time soon, schools and universities might need to step in quickly and emphasise critical thinking exercises and cognitive skill development to counterbalance AI's negative effects.
"While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs. Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioural levels. These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning," the researchers stated.
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AI Diminishing Critical Thinking Skills
This is not the first instance when AI use has been related to lowering cognitive skills in humans. In a study titled "AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking," published in Societies, researchers found evidence of lower critical thinking skills among the young people who extensively delegated their memory and problem-solving tasks to AI through a phenomenon known as cognitive offloading.
Lead author Michael Gerlich of SBS Swiss Business School, found that cognitive offloading was strongly correlated with AI tool usage and inversely related to critical thinking.
"Younger participants who exhibited higher dependence on AI tools scored lower in critical thinking compared to their older counterparts," wrote Gerlich.
The participants acknowledged that their reliance on AI for decision-making and memory tasks had them concerned about losing critical thinking skills. Some even expressed concerns that AI was altering their decisions through its own, inherent bias.
