Scientists tell how ChatGPT influences human critical thinking

A group of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published a new study titled "Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task". The authors of the project are experienced neuropsychologists and cognitive scientists at MIT Media Lab who have been studying the impact of digital technologies on the brain for years.

Experts in behavioral psychology and neuroimaging also participated in the study, which gave the work an interdisciplinary character.

The work was partially funded by Microsoft, which has previously commissioned similar studies of the impact of its tools on users. In April 2025, the team conducted an experiment with 54 volunteers aged 18 to 39. The participants were divided into three groups: the first one wrote essays using generative AIs such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini. The second group used conventional search engines, and the third group had to complete the task without any digital prompts. After that, all groups repeated the task without the tools.

The results showed that the group that actively used artificial intelligence demonstrated reduced brain activity and worse results when performing the task for the second time. Participants also felt more irritated and demonstrated a lower level of critical thinking. The researchers emphasize that active use of AI can create the so-called "echo chamber effect". In this situation, a person receives mostly information that only confirms his or her own beliefs.

It is worth noting that the study has not yet undergone an independent peer review, and long-term results are not yet available.

• Microsoft, on the other hand, will evaluate employees for using internal AI.
• The company has started to require employees to use its own AI tools more actively – and is already considering adding this criterion to official annual evaluations.