As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to make its way into everyday life, with tech companies gearing up to implement AI in smartphones further and even introduce personal assistant robots like Tesla’s Optimus, one question remains: Is AI making our lives better or worse?
On the one hand, AI makes things easier, from driving cars to quickly answering questions that we once might have Googled. But with this convenience comes an obvious concern about the long-term effects of AI on the brain. Are we sacrificing too much in the name of ease?
The study, which was reported by Time, divided 54 young adults (ages 18–39) from the Boston area into three groups. Each group was asked to write several SAT-style essays using different tools: one group used OpenAI’s ChatGPT, another used Google’s search engine, and the third wrote with no assistance at all. Researchers tracked brain activity across 32 regions using EEG technology and discovered worrying results.
The ChatGPT users, according to the study, showed the lowest levels of brain engagement compared to the other groups. They also performed worse in both neural and linguistic assessments. Over the course of the study, these users became lazier in their approach to writing, often resorting to copy-pasting rather than engaging in original thought.
The paper suggests that AI tools like ChatGPT could actually be detrimental to learning, particularly for younger users. Although the paper has not yet been peer-reviewed, and its sample size is relatively small, the lead researcher, Nataliya Kosmyna, emphasised the importance of sharing these findings early to spark discussion. As society becomes more dependent on AI for convenience, she warned, there could be long-term consequences for brain development.
While AI certainly makes life more convenient, it may not necessarily make us better, at least not in the ways that matter most. With an increasing reliance on digital tools, we may be overlooking the potential costs, especially when it comes to how we think and learn. After all, the human brain was never designed to be so dependent on external machines for such simple day-to-day tasks, for which AI is increasingly being employed.
