We’re calling it ‘The Stupidening.’
Your chatbot might be making you slower. As AI takes over thinking, researchers warn of a startling mental trade-off.
At MIT, scientist Nataliya Kosmyna noticed students forgetting content faster than years prior.
Her unpublished study gave 54 students essay tasks. Those using ChatGPT showed brain activity reduced by up to 55%, their minds barely flickered.
The “soulless” AI essays all looked identical. Worse, users couldn’t recall their own work.
Other studies confirm this “cognitive surrender”: doctors using AI screening grew worse at spotting tumours alone.
Computational neuroscientist Vivienne Ming warns of a potential dementia link, comparing over-reliance on AI to using GPS until you forget how to navigate.
She found most students simply copy-paste AI answers, showing almost no gamma wave activity, a marker linked to cognitive decline.
The fix? Use AI as a “nemesis” to challenge you, not answer for you. Deep thinking is our superpower. Outsource it, and you might lose it forever.
