By Abigail Shields, Year 12
Amid the AI epidemic, it’s only natural to wonder exactly what ChatGPT is doing to our brains. So many people are now completely dependent on this machine learning model, and many high schoolers do not know what education is without it; it is an essential concern to research. Reports show that ChatGPT consumed up to 14.28 billion gallons in a single year, an astronomical number that illustrates how lucrative this technology is for major tech CEOs. When we take a second to examine the ramifications for our climate, we have to ask ourselves, is the instant convenience ChatGPT provides really worth the cost? Or is it rotting our brains?
Many people assume that this tool can improve our efficiency and help us with time management, and while this may be true in certain circumstances, recent research suggests this tool may be reducing our cognitive engagement when used improperly, and studies show that most people are indeed using it excessively.
In 2024, a study conducted by the MIT Media Lab explored the impact of AI-supported writing on the brain and learning. The study involved 54 participants, who were divided into three groups: one group used ChatGPT to write essays, another used a search engine, and the last used only reasoning. The participants’ neural activity was measured using electroencephalography (EEG).
The participants who used ChatGPT showed significantly lower neural engagement than other groups. In the four-month study, the brain activity of the three different groups was tracked with the EEG. The findings revealed that the group that only used their brains to write essays showed the highest level of neural connectivity, particularly in the frequency bands that are linked to memory, attention, and problem-solving. On the other hand, the group that used ChatGPT showed the lowest level of brain engagement, with scores falling from an average of ~79 in the brain-only group to ~42 in the ChatGPT group, a decline of 47% in cognitive engagement.
Over time, their essays became practically indistinguishable, with very little originality and significantly less effort. When participants were asked to recall quotes or sentences from their own writing, they couldn’t recall any. Even when they were later asked to work without ChatGPT. Suggesting that ChatGPT remarkably strains our short-term and even perhaps eventually our long-term memory. The researchers described this effect as “cognitive debt,” where short-term convenience leads to long-term learning costs.
In contrast, participants who wrote without AI exhibited stronger neural connectivity and a greater sense of ownership over their work. When these participants later used AI, their brain engagement increased, indicating that AI can, in fact, enhance learning when used as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for thinking. However, this conclusion should be taken into consideration with caution, especially since the study was based on short-term writing activities and a small sample size, and the long-term cognitive impact of AI on various subjects and age groups is still unclear. It is also important to recognise that ChatGPT may manifest a disinterest in proper, extensive research and learning subjects in depth since it offers instant, limited knowledge on subjects, which tricks us into thinking we have understood and learnt them. When it is evident that the process of learning and retaining information demands struggle in acquiring it.
Nonetheless, the results indicate that teaching methods that encourage students to think on their own before using AI may allow the technology to assist without hindering cognitive development. These findings do not mean AI is inherently harmful. Instead, they highlight the importance of the precautions we should take when using AI. Just as calculators changed math education by raising expectations rather than eliminating thinking, AI should be integrated in ways that demand creativity and reflection.
Generative AI has the capacity to help with the learning process, but it cannot replace the mental work that helps build memory and critical thinking. When the student lets the AI think of them, the brain compensates for the lack of mental work by doing less. When the AI is used correctly, it becomes a tool that expands the mind rather than contracting it.
Works Cited
Ko, Deborah. “Your Brain, Rewired: How AI Is Altering Cognition and What You Can Do about It.” Medium, May 20, 2025. https://psykobabble.medium.com/your-brain-rewired-how-ai-is-altering-cognition-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-c32459b0f529.
Matysiak, Sarah. “Does Using AI Affect Your Brain Performance?” Healthline. Healthline Media, October 27, 2025. http://www.healthline.com/health/does-using-ai-affect-your-brain-performance#mi-ts-study.
Mineo, Liz. “Is AI Dulling Our Minds?” Harvard Gazette, November 13, 2025. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/11/is-ai-dulling-our-minds/.
Nataliya Kos’myna. “Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt When Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task – MIT Media Lab.” MIT Media Lab, 2025. http://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/.
