AI Is Dulling Our Brains

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AI can solve climate change. It can also solve the energy crisis, deforestation, food distribution, wealth distribution, pandemics, and maybe even cancer (someday). But right now, it is dulling the edges of our brains, one prompt at a time.

Let me explain.

Don’t Let AI Think For You

A recent study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that extensive use of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, especially for tasks that require deep thinking, makes our brains lazier.

The study split 54 participants into three groups and gave a number of essay writing tasks that required deep thinking. One group had access to LLMs, one group had access to Search Engines, and the other group carried out the tasks without any tools, using the good old brain.

In a surprise 4th session, the LLM group was asked to do the task without any tool, while the brain-only group was given access to LLMs. During every session, researchers monitored the brain activity of participants using an EEG.

Read: Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task

The group using LLMs “had the lowest brain engagement and consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.” The brain-only group demonstrated the highest brain activity and neural connectivity. LLM users also had trouble remembering what they wrote, and their written works were found to be similar, while the brain-only group demonstrated curiosity and a diverse range of ideas.

When the LLM-only group was asked to write without any tools, they struggled to get it done, whereas the brain-only group performed better and retained more when they had access to ChatGPT. This exhibits that AI, if used correctly, could aid us in learning.

As long as you don’t let AI do the thinking for you.

A similar study was published by Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft Research earlier this year, which found that overreliance on ChatGPT could adversely affect critical thinking.

I am sure there are people around the world trying their best to leverage this technology for our betterment. The problem is, a large number of folks are using LLMs to do the most pointless and cringe-worthy activities.

AI Is Feeding An Addiction To Vicarious Trauma

A devastating plane crash in India’s Gujarat killed at least 270 people last week, and social media was instantly flooded with AI-generated images claiming to show the wreckage. 

We also received a 5-minute-long film made entirely using AI, which shows a reenactment of the moments leading up to the crash for the passengers and pilots.

Shortly after, the Israel-Iran conflict erupted, and highly-realistic AI visuals claiming to show destruction in both countries went viral.

In April, a terrorist attack in Kashmir killed 26 civilians. Social media users took an image of one of the survivors sitting next to the body of her slain husband, added the Ghibli filter and other AI-led dramatisations, and made them viral.

Last year, a terrible case of rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata created widespread outrage India. My colleague Karen found a number of influencers exploiting the outrage and using face-swap tools to create content using the victim’s face, pretending to be the deceased doctor.

Responsible use of AI means using it strategically to aid your critical thinking, not compete with it. And it definitely does not include cashing in on tragedy porn.

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