Is AI making us stupid? MIT study raises concerns.

Welcome back, explorers.

AI tools like ChatGPT are rewriting the way we work, learn, and think. But are they also rewiring our brains for the worse?

A new study by MIT’s Media Lab suggests that while AI may help us do things faster, it might be silently weakening our ability to think deeper.

Let’s break it down. 👇

 🔥Today’s big AI story

Is AI making us stupid? MIT study raises concerns.

🧪 The Study: AI vs. Human Cognition

Researchers at MIT recruited 54 participants, aged 18-39, and split them into three groups:

• Group 1 used ChatGPT to write SAT-style essays

• Group 2 used Google Search

• Group 3 used no digital tools at all

While the participants wrote, their brain activity was tracked using EEG scans, measuring engagement in 32 different regions of the brain.

🔍 The Findings: AI Users Showed the Least Brain Activity

The results were eye-opening:

➡️ ChatGPT users:

• Showed the lowest levels of neural engagement.

• Became increasingly passive over time - often just copying and pasting AI-generated content.

• Struggled to recall or revise their work later.

➡️ No-tool users:

• Showed the highest brain activity - especially in areas related to creativity, memory, and deep thinking.

• Reported greater satisfaction and ownership over their work.

➡️ Google Search users:

• Fell somewhere in between - still using digital help, but with more active cognitive processing.

🤔 What This Means for All of Us

AI isn't just a productivity booster - it’s also changing how we process information.

🔹 If we use AI as a replacement for thinking, our mental muscles weaken.

🔹 If we use it after thinking through a problem ourselves, it becomes a powerful partner.

MIT’s follow-up tests showed this clearly:

• Participants who started with AI struggled when asked to write without it.

• Those who started without AI were better able to leverage it later - showing higher brain activity even when using the tool.

💡 My Take: Use AI as a Thinking Amplifier, Not a Thinking Substitute

Here’s how to stay cognitively sharp in the age of AI:

✅ Do the thinking first: Reflect, research, and sketch ideas before turning to AI.

✅ Use AI for iteration, not inception: Let it help you build or improve - not begin.

✅ Build “cognitive fitness”: Like physical fitness, it requires effort. Read deeply. Write without tools. Tackle challenges manually now and then.