CITIZENS NEWS

ChatGPT linked to cognitive decline: MIT study warns of "lazy brain" epidemic as AI dependence grows

By isabelle // 2025-06-23

• MIT study reveals ChatGPT use reduces brain engagement, turning users into passive thinkers instead of active problem solvers.
• EEG scans show ChatGPT users had the weakest neural activity, while those writing without AI displayed the strongest cognitive engagement.
• Prolonged AI reliance leads to declining critical thinking, with essays becoming formulaic and lacking originality, according to English teachers.
• Researchers warn policymakers against unchecked AI integration in schools, fearing developmental harm to children’s brains.
• Early findings suggest AI dependence weakens memory retention and problem-solving skills, risking long-term cognitive decline.

A groundbreaking MIT study has exposed a disturbing trend: reliance on ChatGPT may be eroding human intelligence, turning users into passive consumers of pre-packaged ideas rather than active thinkers. Researchers at MIT’s Media Lab found that participants who used OpenAI’s chatbot to write essays showed alarmingly low brain engagement, raising urgent concerns about the long-term consequences of AI dependence, especially for children. The study, led by research scientist Nataliya Kosmyna, divided 54 participants into three groups: one using ChatGPT, another using Google search, and a third relying solely on their own cognition to write SAT-style essays. EEG brain scans revealed a dramatic divide: ChatGPT users displayed the weakest neural activity, while the "brain-only" group showed the strongest cognitive engagement. Over time, AI users became increasingly lazy, progressing from asking structural questions to outright copy-pasting AI-generated content.

The death of critical thinking

The findings are just preliminary, but they paint a grim picture of AI’s impact on human intellect. "Over four months, [large language model] users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels," the study states. By the end, ChatGPT-generated essays were nearly indistinguishable—soulless, formulaic, and devoid of original thought. Two English teachers who reviewed the work described the essays as robotic and uninspired. Kosmyna, who rushed the study’s release before peer review due to mounting concerns, warned that policymakers are already pushing AI into classrooms without understanding the risks. "What really motivated me to put it out now is that I am afraid in 6-8 months, there will be some policymaker who decides, ‘let’s do GPT kindergarten,’" she told TIME. "I think that would be absolutely bad and detrimental. Developing brains are at the highest risk." Her fears are not unfounded. In April, President Trump signed an executive order mandating AI integration in U.S. schools, with White House staff secretary Will Scharf declaring it essential for "training the workforce of the future." But Kosmyna’s research suggests this approach could backfire, creating a generation of cognitively stunted individuals who lack problem-solving skills and creative resilience. The study also highlighted a key distinction between AI and traditional search engines. While Google users showed moderate brain engagement, actively filtering and synthesizing information, ChatGPT users bypassed critical thinking entirely, outsourcing their mental labor to the algorithm. EEG scans revealed the brain-only group had the "strongest, most distributed networks," with heightened activity in regions linked to memory and creativity. When ChatGPT users were later asked to rewrite an essay without AI, they struggled to recall their own work, exhibiting weakened alpha and theta brain waves—signs of shallow cognitive processing. "The task was executed, and you could say that it was efficient and convenient," Kosmyna said. "But as we show in the paper, you basically didn’t integrate any of it into your memory networks." Meanwhile, participants who initially wrote without AI but later used ChatGPT showed a surge in brain connectivity, suggesting that foundational critical thinking skills must be established before introducing AI tools. The implications are clear: unchecked AI reliance doesn’t augment intelligence; it replaces it.

A warning for the future

Kosmyna’s team is now studying AI’s impact on software engineers, and early results are even more alarming. If corporations replace junior developers with AI, they may inadvertently cripple their workforce’s problem-solving abilities. Efficiency, it seems, comes at the cost of ingenuity. The study’s urgent release underscores a growing divide: while tech giants and politicians push AI as the future of education and labor, scientists warn of its hidden toll on the human mind. As Kosmyna argues, "Education on how we use these tools, and promoting the fact that your brain does need to develop in a more analog way, is absolutely critical." In an era where convenience trumps self-reliance, this research serves as a wake-up call. The choice is ours: nurture independent thought, or surrender our minds to machines.   Sources for this article include: InfoWars.com Independent.co.uk TheHill.com TIME.com

brain function glitch collapse robots research AI memory cyborg cognitive decline Censored Science mental decline future tech badhealth dangerous tech ChatGPT