We’ve been hyping up the benefits of AI for months…

…automating workflows, speeding up customer service, boosting marketing – you name it.

But what if, behind all that convenience, there’s a cost we’re not seeing?

A recent study out of MIT’s Media Lab has sparked a big conversation about how using tools like ChatGPT might affect your brain – and more specifically, your ability to think critically.

Let’s break it down.

MIT split 54 people (ages 18–39) into three groups:

1. ChatGPT group – wrote essays using ChatGPT.

2. Google group – used traditional search.

3. Brain-only group – no external help. Just old-school thinking.

They wrote SAT-style essays across multiple sessions while researchers tracked brain activity using EEGs.

The Results Were… Concerning

Here’s the kicker:

As the study went on, these users got increasingly lazy. By the final sessions, many just copy-pasted what ChatGPT gave them. No editing. No thinking. No ownership.

Meanwhile, the “brain-only” group had the highest neural connectivity, especially in areas linked to memory, creativity, and decision-making. They also reported feeling more connected to their work and remembered more about what they wrote.

The “Google” group fell somewhere in between – still showing curiosity and satisfaction, just with less neural activity than the brain-only team.

Session 4 Twist: Take Away the Tools

Then came the plot twist.

In a final round, the ChatGPT group was not allowed to use AI. And it showed. They struggled to remember what they had written. Their brain waves were weak.

Conversely, when the brain-only group did use ChatGPT in this round, they outperformed everyone. They used the tool strategically – refining ideas, not outsourcing them. Their brain scans lit up across the board.

What does this mean?

The study suggests that blind reliance on LLMs (like ChatGPT) can short-circuit our thinking – especially when we treat it like a shortcut instead of a creative partner.

The younger the brain, the greater the risk. If you're in education, HR, or team development – keep this in mind.

Other studies from MIT have already linked long-term ChatGPT use to increased feelings of loneliness and reduced motivation. A Harvard study earlier this year found similar results – higher productivity but lower engagement.

Add that up, and you get a picture of convenience that might be costing us cognitive depth.

Critical thinking is your business’s greatest asset. Don’t outsource it by accident.

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