Recent scientific studies suggest that AI tools significantly reduce brain activity and produce less original thinking. Last year's experiment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, involving more than fifty Boston University students, found that subjects using ChatGPT for essay writing showed substantially less brain activity than those relying only on their own minds or Google searches.
A series of experiments at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School involving more than 4,500 participants found that those who used large language models for research demonstrated weaker understanding of topics and made less original insights than Google users. According to MIT researcher Nataliya Kosmyna, ChatGPT users showed fewer connections between different parts of their brains, with reduced activity associated with creativity and working memory. Cornell University's April study found that American and Indian participants' responses became more similar to each other when using AI tools and shifted toward Western norms.
The research suggests that AI tools may weaken critical thinking abilities in the long term. In the MIT experiment, 80 percent of ChatGPT users could not quote from their own text and felt no ownership over their work. Large language models are built on averages and provide consensus-leaning responses, resulting in cultural homogenisation.
Sources:
1.
Kyle Chayka
2.
Pattie Maes
3.
Wall Street Journal · June 26, 2025
