Is ChatGPT Hurting Our Critical Thinking Skills? Exploring the Impact of AI on Our Brains and Learning

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT have become ubiquitous in our daily lives, transforming the way we access information, learn, and even work. But as these large language models (LLMs) become more integrated into education and the workplace, a growing concern emerges: are they dulling our brains and eroding our critical thinking skills? This question is more relevant than ever, especially in fields like AI in recruiting and education where decision-making and analytical skills are paramount.

In this detailed exploration, we dive into recent scientific research, including a groundbreaking MIT study, expert insights from neuroscientist and science journalist Celia Ford, and broader cultural reflections on the cognitive consequences of relying heavily on AI. We’ll unpack what happens to our brains when we outsource thinking to machines, how AI tools can both help and hinder us, and what practical steps we can take to use AI responsibly without sacrificing our intellectual abilities.

The Growing Debate Around AI and Critical Thinking

There’s no denying that AI chatbots like ChatGPT offer incredible convenience. From writing essays to generating code, these tools can save time and effort. However, educators, researchers, and cognitive scientists have voiced concerns that over-reliance on such technologies might be making people lazy, diminishing their ability to think critically, and weakening essential cognitive functions.

Celia Ford, a science writer and former neuroscientist based in Oakland, California, captures this tension well. She acknowledges that while AI tools don’t necessarily “rot your brain,” they fundamentally change how we interact with information. When we search the Internet traditionally, we engage in active information seeking, sifting through sources, evaluating content, and following our own trains of thought. AI, in contrast, often packages answers into neat, personalized responses, turning us from active seekers into passive consumers.

This shift has important implications. If we become accustomed to receiving ready-made answers from AI, we risk losing the mental discipline required for critical thinking, creativity, and deep learning. The concern is that over time, these skills may atrophy, leaving our minds less prepared and less capable of independent thought.

What the MIT Study Reveals About AI’s Impact on the Brain

One of the most compelling pieces of evidence comes from a fascinating study conducted at the MIT Media Lab, led by Dr. Natalia Cosmina. This research specifically examined how different methods of essay writing—using only one’s brain, using Google searches, or using ChatGPT—affect brain activity and writing quality.

Study Design and Methodology

• Participants: 54 mostly Boston-based college students
• Task: Write three short essays over three sessions, using SAT-style prompts such as “What does happiness look like?”
• Conditions:
  • Write essays using only their own knowledge—no Internet or AI assistance
  • Allowed to use Google searches but no AI tools
  • Given permission to use ChatGPT freely
• Brain Monitoring: Participants wore EEG headsets that recorded electrical activity across brain regions during the writing tasks
• Evaluation: Essays were assessed for quality by English professors, and participants were asked about their memory and perception of their writing

Key Findings

The results unveiled some striking differences:

• Memory and Connection to Writing: Participants who used ChatGPT struggled to remember what they had written, indicating a disconnect between the content and their own cognitive engagement. In contrast, those who wrote without AI or with Google searches retained better memory of their essays.
• Homogenization of Responses: Essays written with AI showed a homogenizing effect. Because ChatGPT draws from the average of vast Internet data, answers tended to converge on the most common or “average” response, resulting in less original, less creative, and arguably soulless essays.
• Brain Connectivity: EEG data revealed that participants who relied solely on their own brains exhibited higher connectivity across various brain regions associated with attention, memory retrieval, creativity, and brainstorming. Those using AI showed reduced neural connectivity, suggesting less integrated cognitive activity.

These findings suggest that AI tools, while powerful, may reduce the mental effort and neural engagement that underpin critical thinking and creativity. The brain's active involvement in complex tasks appears diminished when AI takes over the heavy lifting.

Supporting Research: The Broader Landscape

The MIT study is among the first to combine behavioral data with real-time brain activity monitoring in this context, but other research supports its concerns. For example, a Harvard study published in May found that while generative AI tools can increase feelings of productivity at work, they also tend to reduce motivation. This resonates with users’ intuitive experiences of AI as both empowering and potentially demotivating.

Similarly, a study from Carnegie Mellon University highlighted the risks of “cognitive offloading”—the practice of delegating mental tasks to external tools like AI. The researchers warned that outsourcing thought processes to AI can leave our minds “atrophied and unprepared,” leading to deterioration in cognitive faculties that normally require exercise and preservation.

Cognitive Offloading: A Double-Edged Sword

Humans have always used tools to extend their cognitive capacities. Writing, calendars, GPS navigation, and smartphones are all examples of cognitive offloading that frees our brains from memorizing or calculating every detail. These tools help us manage information overload and enhance productivity.

AI fits into this tradition but also challenges it in new ways. Unlike GPS, which offloads spatial navigation—a task many may not consider central to their identity—AI can take over core intellectual processes such as writing, brainstorming, and problem-solving. This raises the stakes. When AI writes your essay or codes your program, it isn’t just helping; it’s potentially supplanting fundamental human thinking.

Celia Ford emphasizes the importance of using AI as a tool to augment thinking rather than replace it. She argues that the key is to first engage deeply with a task yourself before turning to AI for assistance. This approach helps maintain neural connectivity and cognitive skills, as demonstrated in the MIT study where participants who learned independently then used AI showed enhanced brain activity compared to those who started with AI assistance.

Drawing the Line: Healthy Use of AI vs. Brain Atrophy

The MIT study’s fourth session, where participants switched conditions, offers valuable insight into where to draw the line:

• From AI to Brain: Participants who relied on ChatGPT initially and then had to write without it showed decreased neural connectivity and poorer performance, indicating diminished cognitive capacity.
• From Brain to AI: Those who wrote independently first and then used AI tools showed increased brain connectivity, suggesting that AI can enhance performance when used as an augmentative tool rather than a crutch.

This underscores a crucial principle: AI should be used to supplement our cognition after we have engaged deeply with the material ourselves. Handing over challenging tasks to AI before developing our own understanding risks weakening the very cognitive faculties AI is meant to support.

Industry Response and Ethical Considerations

Despite these important findings, tech companies behind AI tools have yet to publicly address the potential cognitive risks. OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has not formally responded to the MIT study, and its CEO Sam Altman has remained silent on this issue. This lack of engagement from AI leaders is concerning, given the rapid adoption of these technologies across education, work, and society.

Microsoft researchers, involved in AI development, have contributed to studies on cognitive offloading, but a broader industry conversation about the ethical implications of AI’s cognitive impact remains largely absent. As AI continues to evolve and integrate into critical areas like recruiting—where decision-making and critical evaluation are essential—this silence could have serious consequences.

AI’s Potential Benefits: Not All Doom and Gloom

It’s important to recognize that AI and digital tools also offer notable benefits. For example, long-term studies tracking older adults show that using digital tools like phone reminders can help reduce the risk of dementia by supporting memory and independence. While these studies focus more on basic digital aids than AI per se, they highlight how technology can support cognitive health when used appropriately.

Cognitive offloading is not inherently harmful. In fact, it can free up mental resources for higher-order thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. The challenge lies in balancing reliance on AI with active mental engagement, ensuring AI acts as a partner rather than a replacement.

AI and the Broader Societal Challenges: Disinformation and Critical Thinking

Besides individual cognition, AI also plays a role in larger societal dynamics, especially around misinformation and trust. Generative AI can produce highly convincing fake content—images, videos, and text—that blur the lines between reality and fiction. This capability exacerbates existing challenges in distinguishing credible information from disinformation.

At the same time, AI tools can be leveraged to detect and combat fake news, making AI both a problem and part of the solution. This dual role complicates public discourse and highlights the need for critical thinking skills more than ever.

Big Questions for the Future of AI and Cognition

As AI tools like ChatGPT continue to develop, many questions remain unanswered:

• What are the long-term cognitive effects of using AI from an early age through education and into the workforce?
• How will AI influence skill development, motivation, and creativity over years or decades?
• What educational strategies can best integrate AI tools without compromising critical thinking?
• How can policymakers and educators balance the benefits of AI in productivity with the risks of cognitive offloading?
• What responsibilities do AI companies have to study and mitigate these cognitive impacts?

Researchers like Celia Ford emphasize the urgent need for longitudinal studies tracking AI’s influence on brain function and learning outcomes. Only with robust data can society make informed decisions about integrating AI responsibly.

Practical Advice: How to Use AI Without Losing Your Mind

Given the current knowledge, here are some practical guidelines for harnessing AI tools while safeguarding your critical thinking skills:

1. Try It Yourself First: Engage deeply with a problem or task before turning to AI for help. This builds your neural pathways and cognitive strength.
2. Use AI as a Partner: Treat AI as an assistant that augments your thinking rather than a replacement for it. Ask it for ideas, drafts, or code snippets you can refine and critique.
3. Stay Curious and Skeptical: Don’t accept AI-generated answers blindly. Verify facts, question assumptions, and maintain a critical mindset.
4. Mix Methods: Combine traditional research, human interaction, and AI tools to diversify your cognitive input and avoid homogenized thinking.
5. Reflect on Your Learning: Make time to review and internalize what AI helps you produce. This strengthens memory and understanding.

Conclusion: Navigating the AI Era with Brain and Heart

AI in recruiting, education, and beyond offers unprecedented opportunities to enhance productivity and access to information. Yet, as the MIT study and other research reveal, there is a real risk that over-reliance on AI could erode the very cognitive skills—critical thinking, creativity, memory—that define human intelligence.

The challenge ahead is not to reject AI but to integrate it thoughtfully. We must cultivate a culture that values mental effort and creativity, using AI as a tool to amplify rather than replace our cognitive abilities. This balance is crucial to preserving our intellectual autonomy and ensuring that AI serves humanity’s best interests rather than diminishing them.

As we continue to explore AI’s impact on our brains and society, it is imperative that researchers, educators, industry leaders, and users alike engage in open dialogue, rigorous study, and ethical reflection. Only by doing so can we harness the power of AI without losing the essence of what makes us human.