Scientists are warning that over-reliance on artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT could harm creativity, attention span, critical thinking, and memory. A growing body of research suggests that outsourcing mental tasks to AI may lead to cognitive atrophy, similar to how GPS use has weakened spatial memory and search engines have impaired recall.
Adam Green, a professor of neuroscience at Georgetown University, says there is plenty of evidence that if you stop doing actual thinking, your ability to do that kind of thinking will deteriorate. He compares using AI to having a robot lift a barbell for you at the gym: you get no benefit. A recent study found that heavy AI users scored significantly worse on critical thinking tests, apparently because they offload thought processes to machines.
However, the effects are not inevitable. Jared Benge, a clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Texas at Austin, notes that technology use has not been linked to “digital dementia” in a meta-analysis of 57 studies covering over 411,000 adults. He argues that how we use AI determines whether it helps or harms us. If AI frees up brain space for more important tasks, it could be beneficial.
Experts advise using AI as a tool rather than a crutch. To preserve cognitive skills, users should engage critically with AI outputs, especially in areas where they lack expertise. A study by Microsoft Research found that people are most at risk when they cannot judge the quality of AI-generated content, leading to what researchers call “cognitive surrender”.
