ChatGPT Is Making You Dumber

A study has found significant differences in those who use chatbots versus those who are ‘Brain-only’

People who regularly use chatbots like ChatGPT have lower brain activity than those who rely on their own thoughts.

The conclusion was reached by researchers at MIT, who were studying the neural and behavioral consequences of LLM-assisted essay writing.

The team divided participants into three groups: LLM, Search Engine and Brain-only. Each completed three essay-writing tasks under the same conditions, while for a fourth task the LLM and Brain-only groups were swapped.

Participants’ brain activity was measured using an EEG to assess cognitive load, and the final essays were judged by both human teachers and an AI.

The results found “significant” differences in brain connectivity, with Brain-only participants showing the strongest, most distributed networks and the LLM group the weakest. The Search Engine group fell somewhere in the middle, though closer to the Brain-only users.

“Cognitive activity scaled down in relation to external tool use,” the team said.

The conclusions remained in session 4 when participants swapped groups. The Brain-to-LLM group “exhibited higher memory recall and activation of occipito-parietal and prefrontal areas,” while LLM-to-Brain participants “showed reduced alpha and beta connectivity, indicating under-engagement.”

In addition, LLM users “struggled” to quote their own work, with 83% unable to provide a single correct quote from their essays, versus around 10% from both other groups.

In addition, the essays written using AI were homogenous, repeating similar themes and language.

Skipping To The End Misses The Point

“While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs,” the team concluded.

“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.”

A popular analogy when it comes to the use of AI is weight-lifting. The end goal is not to lift bigger weights, it’s to build muscle. Similarly, the goal of education is not to produce essays, it’s to expand your mind. The research and study are part of the process.

This is not the first warning we’ve had about reliance on AI systems. A meta-analysis released in January carried a similar message about AI’s impact on critical thinking, as did Microsoft research from February.

This is, however, the first study to include EEG readings proving an impact on brain connectivity.

This article originally appeared on our sister site Computing.