The Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a study to find out how using ChatGPT affects students' brains. The experiment involved 54 students from Boston, who were divided into three groups: one wrote an essay without help, one used Google, and the third turned to ChatGPT.
How students' brains worked
The researchers monitored brainwave activity while the participants were working independently. They found that the participants who worked independently showed the highest levels of neural activity, while the students who relied on ChatGPT showed the lowest levels of activity, suggesting that they were often operating on autopilot, which stifled creativity.
Changing roles
When the groups switched places, the AI novices were able to improve the quality of their texts. However, those who were used to relying on ChatGPT struggled without it and were unable to reproduce their previous level of writing. Teachers also noted that the texts created with the help of AI lost their individuality and emotional “depth.”.
Don't panic, but think about it
The study authors emphasize that this is not about “brain atrophy,” but rather about the risk of overreliance on technology. The scale of the experiment is also limited, so it is too early to draw global conclusions.
Experts from the Free University of Amsterdam add: the biggest threat is the loss of critical thinking. If a person trusts artificial intelligence unconditionally, they risk losing their own ability to evaluate, analyze and draw conclusions.
So the main question remains: how to find a balance between useful AI support and developing your own intelligence? Will ChatGPT become a reliable partner in learning, or will it turn into a dangerous replacement for thinking?
