DIGITAL LIFE

MIT Media Lab: artificial intelligence reduces brain activity

A recent study conducted by the MIT Media Lab has revealed a finding that could change the way we think about the use of artificial intelligence in our daily lives. The research, which is still awaiting peer review, suggests that the use of AI tools can reduce brain activity in certain situations, raising important questions about how these technologies affect our cognitive abilities.

To reach these conclusions, the researchers recruited 54 students and asked them to write essays using three different methods: their own brains, a search engine, or an AI assistant, specifically ChatGPT. For three sessions, the participants remained faithful to the methods they were assigned, and were later switched between groups.

Using EEG equipment that monitored brain activity throughout the process, the researchers were able to collect precise data on how the brain functioned during each task. The resulting essays were evaluated by both humans and a specially trained AI, and each student was later interviewed about their experience.

The results were revealing. The group that relied solely on their brain power demonstrated greater engagement, better memory, and a stronger sense of ownership over the work they produced. These participants could easily quote parts of their own essays, demonstrating a deeper connection to the content they created. In contrast, those who used AI initially showed less impressive recall and lower brain connectivity. Many could not even quote their own essays within minutes of writing them. 

When they were later required to write manually in the final test, they continued to perform poorly. However, it is important to put these results into context. The study has limitations that the authors themselves acknowledge: it has not yet been peer-reviewed, it was limited in scope, and it focused only on essay writing rather than on other cognitive activities. 

Furthermore, EEG devices, while fascinating, are more effective at measuring general tendencies than identifying specific brain functions. The key question is not necessarily whether AI makes us less intelligent, but how we use it. There is a world of difference between completely outsourcing an essay and using AI to help organize complex ideas. The problem may not be with the tool itself, but with how we choose to use it.

Redefining cognitive skills...Historically, humans have always redefined what intelligence is. There was a time when being smart meant knowing how to work flint, do Latin declensions, or use a slide rule. Today, it can mean knowing how to collaborate with machines without letting them do all the thinking for us.

Just as the printing press, the calculator, and the Internet have been accused of making people mentally lazy, AI now faces similar criticism. Yet all of these technologies have turned out to be great benefits to civilization.

With AI in the mix, we are likely to lean more toward synthesis, judgment, and emotional intelligence—the truly human parts of being human. The key is knowing when to trust a model and when to double-check, transforming a tool that can do the job into a resource that helps us do it better.

mundophone