MIT study reveals how ChatGPT affects brain health and congnitive performance

A study published under the title “Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task” (PDF) by MIT Lab researchers investigated the effects of large language models on the human brain.

Artificial intelligence can cause brain atrophy

A study commissioned by Microsoft in April found that excessive use of generative AI negatively impacts critical thinking and simultaneously limits creativity. A recent MIT study not only confirms these findings but shows that the consequences can be even more far-reaching.

The overall result is a decrease in brain activity, with people who frequently use AI exhibiting lower cognitive performance. The researchers also confirm that critical questioning of content decreases, leading to a "echo chamber effect" whereby a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own beliefs ("confirmation bias"). This, in turn, results in decreased dialogue over differing viewpoints, political polarization and increased loneliness, among others.

How the study was carried out

54 test subjects (aged 18 to 39) were divided into three groups, each of which had to write an essay. The first group had to use generative AI models such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini to complete the task.

The second group was allowed to use search engines to find information, while group three had no tools at their disposal. This was followed by a second round in which all test subjects had no access to tools.

In addition to the aforementioned effects, it was found that test subjects in the first group became more easily frustrated and produced poorer results than the other groups.

It should be noted that the study has not yet been reviewed by experts. Long-term results are also lacking. However, if studies continue to show that using generative AI models leads to reduced brain activity and critical thinking long-term, this could have myriad consequences for society and human development in the future.