The WashingtonPost.com reported that “Viral headlines often declare that artificial intelligence makes us stupider and lazier. But the research is more complex than that.” The June 29, 2025 article entitled “Is AI rewiring our minds? Scientists probe cognitive cost of chatbots” (https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/06/29/chatgpt-ai-brain-impact/) included these comments
One U.K. survey study of more than 600 people published in January found “significant negative correlation between the frequent use of AI tools and critical thinking abilities,” as younger users in particular often relied on the programs as substitutes, not supplements, for routine tasks.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School published a study last week showed that high school students in Turkey with access to a ChatGPT-style tutor performed significantly better solving practice math problems. But when the program was taken away, they performed worse than students who had used no AI tutor.
And the MIT study that garnered massiveattention — and some backlash — involved researchers whomeasured brain activity of mostly college students as they used ChatGPT to write SAT-style essays during three sessions. Their work was compared to others who used Google or nothing at all. Researchers outfitted 54 essay writers with caps covered in electrodes that monitor electrical signals in the brain.
No surprises here, but great concern about how people think!
First published at https://www.vogelitlaw.com/blog/is-ai-rewiring-our-brains