Is ChatGPT Making Us Dumber?
Or are we just using it wrong?
There’s a lot being made of a recent MIT study that appears to show some real effects on the brain’s creativity and cognitive activity when people use ChatGPT. Supporters of AI are quick to dismiss the study. Critics are gleefully spreading it like a digital “I told you so.”
So let’s look at what the study actually says and what it doesn’t.
The Study, in Brief
Only 54 people took part—mainly Boston-area students, ages 18 to 39. They were split into three groups:
One wrote essays using only their own brainpower.
One used Google Search.
One got help from ChatGPT.
Each participant wrote three SAT-style essays over a four-month span, while wearing EEG caps to track brain activity.
Here’s what stood out:
ChatGPT users showed the lowest brain engagement—weaker activity in the alpha, theta, and beta bands, which are linked to memory, creativity, and executive function.
Their essays were more formulaic, lacking originality and personal voice.
By the third essay, many ChatGPT users had gotten lazy—some simply pasted in prompts and took what the model gave them.
Then came a fourth session where roles flipped:
Those who had used ChatGPT earlier and were now writing unaided struggled more—with both memory and cognitive effort.
But those who had worked unaided at first and then used ChatGPT showed increased engagement, suggesting that when and how you use the tool matters.
The Takeaway: Not Hype, But Not Doom
Yes, the study found a measurable decrease in neural activity and originality when people leaned too heavily on ChatGPT. It also observed a phenomenon called cognitive offloading—when you let the machine think for you, your own brain puts in less effort. That can lead to weaker learning and memory.
Another finding: the convergence of output. The essays started to sound eerily alike. This echoes what The New Yorker warned about—AI “homogenizing our thoughts.”
But before we panic, a few important caveats:
This is just one small study—54 people, not peer-reviewed yet.
It focused narrowly on essay writing, not other forms of creativity.
Other studies have found that AI can actually boost creativity when used the right way.
Notably, the group using Google Search performed better than the ChatGPT group. That suggests it’s not the use of tools that’s the issue—it’s how you use them.
So... Is AI Eating Our Brains?
No. But it can lull us into using less of them.
If you treat ChatGPT like a shortcut, you may start thinking like a shortcut.
But if you treat it as a collaborator—something to bounce ideas off after you’ve already done the work—it can amplify, not replace, your creativity.
My Advice?
Use ChatGPT after you’ve thought, drafted, or outlined something yourself. Don’t ask it to think for you—ask it to think with you. Journal by hand sometimes. Brainstorm out loud. Let your brain breathe.
The Bottom Line
Yes—there’s legitimate concern behind the headlines. But the real warning isn’t “Don’t use ChatGPT.” It’s “Don’t stop thinking.”
Use AI like a tool, not like a crutch. And definitely not like a substitute for your own imagination.
Further Reading: