ChatGPT may be making your brain worse and here's how

In 2025, ChatGPT has become more than just a digital assistant — it’s a daily companion for some. Whether it’s offering career advice, crafting recipes, or rewriting your CV, millions rely on it for quick answers and support. But a revealing new study suggests that this convenience may come at a cognitive cost — and that outsourcing too much thinking to AI could actually be making our brains worse.

Titled 'Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt When Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Tasks', MIT researchers used electroencephalograms (EEGs), linguistic analysis, and post-task interviews to explore whether AI use has any impact on the brain.

They studied 54 participants, dividing them into three groups over the course of three months. One group exclusively used ChatGPT for essay writing, another relied on traditional search engines like Google (no AI), and the third used only their memory and reasoning.

Participants were asked to write essays based on SAT prompts, with a fourth session allowing them to switch groups.

Unsurprisingly, the results suggested that heavy reliance on the chatbot could, over time, dull cognition, critical thinking, and creativity.

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The researchers referred to the phenomenon as "cognitive debt" — a term suggesting that frequent use of AI tools may hinder the mental processes involved in thinking independently.

Compared to other groups, participants who used traditional search engines were consistently more satisfied with their essays. In contrast, those who relied on AI reported mixed feelings about the quality of their work.

When it came to remembering content, AI users had more difficulty. Many were unable to accurately recall or quote from the essays they had written with ChatGPT’s help.

The study also revealed a decline in mental engagement among AI users. Brain scans showed reduced activity and weaker connectivity in areas responsible for attention, memory, and executive function.

Participants’ sense of ownership over their work shifted with AI involvement. While some felt the essays were fully theirs, others were uncertain or disconnected from what they had written.

Speaking about the findings in the study, researchers concluded: "These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning."

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