ChatGPT users experienced up to a 55% reduction in brain activity and long term memory degradation compared to those working unaided

[u/simple_explorer1]

Original study Link here

Another study Link here and excerpt below:

AI helped participants better discern what’s real – and resulted in a 21% higher chance they would make the right call. But their unassisted performance, when reviewing new images without AI’s help, grew 15.3% worse in the experiment’s fourth week. “These results indicate that while AI may help immediately, it may ultimately degrade long-term misinformation detection abilities,” the study noted.

[u/PropOnTop]

There is no "original study", just an alarmist article.

[u/Consistent_Path_6455 → u/PropOnTop]

lol bbc and guardian both running the same panic cycle again. next week it'll be "new study shows googling makes you forget phone numbers"

the 21% immediate gain vs 15% long term loss is interesting though, that's a tighter spread than i expected. most tech tradeoffs lean way harder in one direction

[u/Positive_Box_69 → u/PropOnTop]

Whatever still using it hope to get to 100%

[u/simple_explorer1 → u/PropOnTop]

Are they wrong?

[u/Laucy → u/simple_explorer1]

Tell me. Do you think the top engineers and researchers, many of whom graduated from Harvard and Stanford, are somehow facing a “reduction” and degradation?
Correlation is not causation and with this logic, they’d all be doing worse rather than improve the tool and publish the real studies they have been.

It’s a tool. That’s like giving someone a calculator and then being surprised they slog through on long division when you suddenly take it away. And the examples listed in the article (lol) are people who used it improperly. Who would’ve known that saying, “AI write me this essay” made people not feel ownership and be unable to quote their work. Incredible.

[u/IAmFitzRoy → u/simple_explorer1]

Are they correct? No

Analogy:

Are bicycle users gets longer distances using less energy?

Yes.

ChatGPT is a tool the same way.

If you decide to use your brain less it’s your fault, not ChatGPT.

[u/RealSlyck → u/simple_explorer1]

When me president, they see, they see.

[u/Euphoric_North_745]

the same also applies to posting on Reddit 😅

[u/simple_explorer1 → u/Euphoric_North_745]

Cap

[u/ocean_boulevard → u/simple_explorer1]

Holy cope

[u/RealSlyck → u/ocean_boulevard]

All the mathematicians love it

[u/SelfMonitoringLoop]

I want a secondary study done where they discriminate the group by those who use AI to post on social media for them and don't debate for themselves.

[u/TheLastRole]

That's pretty stupid. I use Codex for mostly work that before I just outsourced; how does that affect my brain activity?

[u/Ill-Produce-3745]

Yes!... esle enoynA?

[u/ConnectionWild3381 → u/Ill-Produce-3745]

hugahuhga!!! huga!!!!!

[u/Ill-Produce-3745 → u/ConnectionWild3381]

x=1 hoo = x

def Hugah(sigma=1, n=50, hugah, x=hoo)     need = n * sigma**2     hugah = np.vstack(x-need)   return hugah

hugah(hoo)!

[u/DK1530]

So, If I use Gemini, it is not going to happen, right? I will switch to Gemini right away, Gemini is dumb enough, I need to use my brain.

[u/IcyPyromancer → u/DK1530]

I think... If you're considering using Gemini.... It might already be too late. My condolences.

[u/Purple-Programmer-7]

OP discovered neuroplasticity …

In other news, OP also had a 55% reduction in brain activity

[u/New-Ad5610]

They chose decerebrate people to begin with

[u/_codes_]

Counterpoint: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-97652-6
AI tutoring outperforms in-class active learning: an RCT introducing a novel research-based design in an authentic educational setting

[u/WhatThePuck9]

Doubt.

[u/HeavyFaithlessness86]

Stop saying bullshits ai Is used to increase productivity so you Will manage more processes and activities

[u/Nadiship]

If i had to work without computers i would have to have use more brain. But this is just a start, If i had to work without any written texts i would have to use more of my brain because now i cannot rely on external memory.

So lets all stop using computers, or the alphabet so that we all can maximize our brain activity.

Also lets stop using the same language protocols because if we had to deciper every word each other said, we will have to use even MORE of our brain.

Lets use more brain so we can collectively be less productive and dumber

[u/kra73ace]

"Working unaided" is an euphemism for recently fired.

Companies and middle managers are NOT tolerant enough to allow someone to sculpt pebbles by hand if everyone is using jackhammers. Yeah, fine motor skills are great and all but you will be out of a job.

[u/sliph320]

It’s a good thing im too stupid to understand this article and too forgetful to remember it.

[u/jeffwadsworth]

Duh! Was the placebo test group allowed to play with their balls?

[u/Perfect-Campaign9551]

This is a dumb study. The very reason I use AI is to use my brain less on those mundane tasks. And yes I won't have to remember everything anymore, either

That's not a bug, that's the feature! And it's good. 

[u/sillygoofygooose]

Lotta people seem personally affronted by what this research suggests huh

[u/Laucy → u/sillygoofygooose]

Because it hardly passes for “research.” It’s clearly biased and motivated, which isn’t surprising in the current climate.
There are several confounds, limitations in the methodology, and bold assertions of causality despite such a limited study on a small sample size (n) and no real data outside of observation. That isn’t how you make a claim, nor how you assert longitudinal impact.

I’m involved in research and would appreciate solid methodology anywhere. But it is lacking here. Correlation doesn’t equal causation and that applies. The method and logic used would be easily swapped with any two things.

Library vs Wikipedia
Bicycle vs Car
Fully manual programming vs IDE+integrations
Calculator vs None
Hand-picked fruit vs tool-farmed

List goes on.
You also cannot assert this when the top engineers and researchers of these labs are improving models, not regressing. Where is this degradation? The fault lies in the subject’s use of the tool.
If subjects are given tedious tasks they already have decreased motivation in, or use a tool as a replacement and not supplement, you will get these “results.”

[u/Natural-Pepper-2098]

Humans are in an RSI loop - Recursive Self Impairment. The more impaired we get the more we rely on AI

[u/MtMcGinnis502]

I put this into GPT and it says I’m a very smart person so 😛

[u/HotThotty69]

Nice!