A group of researchers from the US and UK are discussing what effect AI does to our brains and in a word, the consequences are dire. These results were published in a paper titled “AI assistance reduces persistence and hurts independent performance,” which tells you everything you need to know.
“We found that AI assistance improves immediate performance, but it comes at a steep cognitive cost,” the study said. The researchers further said that just ten minutes of using AI made people dependent on the technology, leading to poor performance and burnout when the device was removed.
The study followed people who used AI for “logic-intensive” cognitive labor. This refers to things like writing, coding, and brainstorming new ideas, which are some of the most common use cases.
Researchers recruited 350 Americans who were asked to complete some fraction-based equations. Half of the participants were randomly given access to a special chatbot built on OpenAI’s GPT-5 to help, and the other had to go it alone. Halfway through the test, the AI group’s access was cut off.
This led to a huge drop in correct answers by the AI group and many cases of people giving up. This result, in which performance and persistence both fell, was replicated in a larger experiment with 670 people. Finally, the scientists conducted a final experiment with reading comprehension questions instead of math. The results were also the same.
“Once AI moves away from people, it’s not just that people are giving wrong answers. They’re not even willing to try without AI,” says Rachit Dubey, an assistant professor at the University of California and co-author of the study. . “People’s perseverance falls.”
Dubey warned that the rapid deployment of AI in the education sector could create “a generation of learners and people who don’t know what they’re capable of doing, and then that will actually undermine human innovation and creativity.”
The study compares the use of technology, finding that “continuous AI use destroys the motivation and persistence that drives long-term learning.” These effects accumulate and “by the time they are visible, they will be difficult to reverse.”
There are two caveats here. The study has yet to be peer-reviewed. Additionally, the researchers found one small bright spot regarding the use of AI. People who used AI tools for prompts and explanations had a much easier time after the chatbot was removed than those who essentially used the bot to prompt answers.
This is just the latest study trying to get to the bottom of what AI is doing to our collective noggins. This has been found to occur for those who rely on “AI brain fry” tools. To that end, researchers found that employees who use AI are actually better off than old-fashioned Luddites.
In the world of education the results are even better. Studies have shown that the use of AI in school increases the tendency of children to trust chatbots.
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