Is ChatGPT making your brain lazy and dumb? Here's what MIT's latest study says

A new MIT study has raised alarm bells about the mental cost of using AI tools like ChatGPT, suggesting that they may be rewiring our brains for the worse.

According to researchers at MIT’s Media Lab, using generative AI to complete everyday tasks such as essay writing doesn’t just change what you write; it changes how your brain works. And not in a good way. In fact, those who relied on ChatGPT showed the lowest brain activity across the board, were less creative, and barely remembered what they wrote.

The study, which tracked brain activity using EEG sensors, split 54 participants into three groups: one using ChatGPT, another using Google Search, and a third using no tools at all. The results? Startling.

Writers who used only their brains exhibited the highest levels of memory recall, creativity, and engagement. Their essays were unique and thought-provoking. But those using ChatGPT? Their writing was nearly identical, bland, and heavily copy-pasted. English teachers who reviewed the work described it as “soulless.”

Even more troubling, brain scans revealed that ChatGPT users had significantly reduced neural connectivity, particularly in regions linked to critical thinking and memory. Over time, their engagement dropped further, and by the final writing sessions, many simply typed the essay prompt into ChatGPT and pasted the response, with little thought of their own.

In follow-up tests, those who had started without AI tools maintained high brain activity, even when later allowed to use ChatGPT. However, those who began with AI showed less cognitive engagement even when asked to work without it, suggesting possible lasting effects.

While the study is still in preprint and hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed, its findings add to growing concerns that constant reliance on generative AI could erode core cognitive skills, especially among young learners.

This isn’t MIT’s first red flag on AI either. Previous Media Lab research found that the more time people spent chatting with AI, the lonelier they felt.

So is ChatGPT killing curiosity? If this study is any indication, the answer might be yes.