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Artificial intelligence chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT could be diminishing cognitive ability, according to a recent study by MIT researchers.
In a study by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, 54 participants completed essay writing tasks over three sessions using one of three assigned methods and tools: ChatGPT, search engines and only their brains.
In a fourth session, the researchers asked the ChatGPT group to use no tools, and the brain-only group participants were asked to use the LLM.
The results were startling, as they revealed poor memory recall among AI users, with more than 83% of ChatGPT users unable to quote from essays they wrote minutes earlier.
Terrifying cognitive bankruptcy
Co-founder of sales tech agency ColdIQ, Alex Vacca, described the results as “terrifying,” adding that AI isn’t making us more productive, “it’s making us cognitively bankrupt.”
“You write something, hit save, and your brain has already forgotten it because ChatGPT did the thinking.”
The researchers stated that brain connectivity “systematically scaled down” with the amount of external support.
“The Brain‑only group exhibited the strongest, widest‑ranging networks, Search Engine group showed intermediate engagement, and LLM assistance elicited the weakest overall coupling,” they said.
Accumulation of “cognitive debt”
The researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) to record brain activity in order to assess participants’ cognitive engagement and cognitive load during the tasks.
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They discovered that an accumulation of “cognitive debt” could arise from repeated reliance on external systems such as LLMs, which replace the cognitive processes required for independent thinking.
“Cognitive debt defers mental effort in the short term but results in long-term costs, such as diminished critical inquiry, increased vulnerability to manipulation, decreased creativity.”
Impact on learning ability
The paper, which has yet to be peer reviewed, suggests that the usage of AI LLMs could actually harm learning, especially for younger users.
“In this study, we demonstrate the pressing matter of a likely decrease in learning skills based on the results of our study,” the researchers concluded.
The researchers said that “longitudinal studies” are needed to understand the long-term impact of AI chatbots on the human brain, “before LLMs are recognized as something that is net positive for humans.”
When Cointelegraph asked ChatGPT for its thoughts on the study, the chatbot replied, “This study doesn’t say ChatGPT is inherently harmful — rather, it warns against overreliance without reflection or effort.”
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