NotebookCheck.net News (19459000): MIT study reveals that ChatGPT can affect brain health and cognitive performance.
The use of generative AI is now well established, with lots of people now using AI in their private and professional lives. As an MIT study has conclusively determined, the increasing use of AI is limiting our ability to think.
Andreas Jakobi (“”http://www.notebookcheck.com/MIT-Studie-Wie-wirkt-sich-ChatGPT-auf-die-Gehirnleistung-aus.1039781.0.html””> Translated by Jacob Fisher, published
Study published under the title: “Your Brain on chatGPT: Accumulation Cognitive Debt When Using an AI assistant for Essay Writing Task”. Researchers at MIT Labs investigated the effects of large-scale language models on the brain. Artificial intelligence can cause brain atrophy.
Microsoft commissioned a study in Aprilthat found that excessive use generative AI negatively impacts on critical thinking, and limits creativity. Recent MIT research confirms the findings, but also shows that the effects can be far-reaching.
The overall effect is a reduction in brain activity. People who use AI frequently show lower cognitive performance. Researchers confirm that critical questioning content decreases. This leads to a “echo chamber effect” in which a person only encounters opinions or information that reinforces their own beliefs. This leads to a decrease in dialogue about different viewpoints, political polarization, and increased loneliness.
The study was conducted
A total of 54 test subjects (aged between 18 and 39) were divided up into three groups. Each group had to write a short essay. The first group was required to complete the task using generative AI models, such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
In the second group, search engines were allowed to be used to find information. Group three was not given any tools. The second round was conducted without any tools available to the test subjects.
The first group of test subjects was more likely to become frustrated and produce poorer results.
The study has not been reviewed by experts. Long-term effects are also lacking. If studies continue to show using generative AI leads to reduced brain activities and critical thinking over the long-term, then this could have a variety of consequences for society and future human development.
Translator: Jacob Fisher – Translator – 1859 articles have been published on Notebookcheck since 2022
I was a teenager growing up in regional Australia when I first encountered computers. A broken leg sustained in a soccer match had temporarily forced me to live a largely indoor lifestyle. I began building my own systems not long after. After moving to Germany in 2014, I now study philosophy and anthropology. I am fascinated by the way computer technology has fundamentally reshaped culture and continues to do so.
Andreas Jakobi (Update: 2025-6-30)
