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People who used ChatGPT and other AI tools to study over the past year are likely “dumber” today than they were a year ago. In fact, a recent MIT study titled “Your Brain on ChatGPT” says precisely that.
The findings are alarming—but on closer look, not surprising.
Participants were split into three groups and asked to write essays.
The first group relied entirely on ChatGPT for their work.
The second group was allowed to research online, but AI was strictly prohibited.
The third group used only their own brains—no tools permitted.
Researchers then compared electrical brain activity across all groups using EEG analysis.
The results are alarming:
People in the AI group showed significantly lower brain activity, weaker neural connectivity, and reduced engagement.
When all groups were tested on memory and the quality of their essays, the AI group remembered less and produced more general, less sophisticated work. The truly worrying part is that even after the AI group stopped using AI, their measures still didn’t return to the levels seen in the other two groups.
This suggests a lingering negative effect on the brain from AI use.
The study indicates that excessive use of artificial intelligence can have a negative impact on actual intelligence.
The potential outcome: Digital dementia
And it’s not just this study. Over the past year, numerous studies have reported that increased use of AI is associated with lower levels of critical thinking and learning ability.
While everyone worries that AI might take their jobs, the real risk is making yourself unemployable by using AI the wrong way.
The solution to digital dementia in coaching and change processes
Digital dementia is, among other things, the result of years of technological convenience designed to make everyday life easier. It has now culminated in the use of AI.
With this convenience, more and more thinking is outsourced.
- We navigate cities with GPS instead of reading maps.
- We dictate messages instead of writing them ourselves.
- We express feelings with emojis instead of describing them clearly.
- We use AI to generate answers instead of thinking through solutions ourselves.
- We let tools deliver ideas that we no longer generate on our own.
All of this lowers brain activity and naturally undermines every coaching and change process. That’s exactly where these abilities are crucial for lasting results:
This includes reflection and the independent development of ideas and solutions.
It’s essential to keep engaging personally in learning and critical reflection, even with AI around. Only then can you develop your own insights and extract real value from what you learn.
That’s why CleverMemo has focused on written reflection for over ten years. It helps clients process experiences and insights from their coaching and turn them into lasting results.
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