Is AI Shrinking Your Brain? Exploring How the Digital Revolution Has Changed Human Cognition
Iyanuoluwa Shonukan
In recent decades, the shift from analog to digital technology has bridged the information gap. This digital revolution has drastically changed how we as humans process information. Calculators have taken the role of advanced arithmetic, searching the internet is now commonplace instead of scouring textbooks, and the newest addition to the list—Artificial Intelligence (AI), has had advantageous impacts on day-to-day efficiency in the lives and industries of many individuals. However, AI-dependence is slowly chipping away at our critical thinking abilities, a crucial part of the human experience, as opposed to high-level math, and old-fashioned textbooks.
While examining the possibility that AI is impeding cognitive function, neuroscientists warn society about cognitive atrophy. Cognitive atrophy refers to deleterious brain changes resulting in a decline in core cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, analytical acumen, and creativity (Dergaa et al., 2024).
“Hey ChatGPT, can you summarize this 10-page paper and provide me with the author’s main idea while writing up a 4-page argument refuting the author’s main points…and make it sound like a college student?”
*A few seconds later*
“Sure thing. Here’s the 10-page paper summary and 4-page rebuttal arguing against the author’s main points, written through the lens of a Harvard student.”
A task that would have taken hours to days of hard work, diminished in seconds, displays the sheer power and intelligence that AI harnesses. AI's easy accessibility may contribute to declining attention spans and reduced memory retention(Shanmugasundaram and Tamilarasu, 2023). The tried and true method of: searching for information, processing it, testing its reliability, and accepting it as truth is now frequently bypassed and obsolete due to the nature of AI’s almost instant response time.
Changing the normal learning process to the aforementioned expedited version inhibits patience and brain growth. Shors et al. describe how hippocampus neurogenesis—or lack thereof, occurs due to the learning frequency in an individual (2012). If technology is doing the learning for us, we aren’t getting any smarter, we’re just making it smarter. Additionally, solely relying on machine learning models to have the final say has resulted in questionable decisions in healthcare and the criminal justice system, posing imminent risks for society (Rudin, 2019).
However, AI is not the enemy—our overreliance is. Artificial Intelligence has come a long way in assisting humans in research, development, and business so we can focus on the bigger picture. Yet, if we as a collective remain complacent to a chatbot, our personal, professional, and neurological growth will be stunted (Grissinger, 2019). Due to its novelty, further research on AI and its effects on our brains and psychology is underway, which will encourage healthier usage and better outcomes for humans and future technology.
About the Author
Iyanuoluwa Shonukan (‘28) is a freshman at Harvard College intending to concentrate in psychology.
References
While examining the possibility that AI is impeding cognitive function, neuroscientists warn society about cognitive atrophy. Cognitive atrophy refers to deleterious brain changes resulting in a decline in core cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, analytical acumen, and creativity (Dergaa et al., 2024).
“Hey ChatGPT, can you summarize this 10-page paper and provide me with the author’s main idea while writing up a 4-page argument refuting the author’s main points…and make it sound like a college student?”
*A few seconds later*
“Sure thing. Here’s the 10-page paper summary and 4-page rebuttal arguing against the author’s main points, written through the lens of a Harvard student.”
A task that would have taken hours to days of hard work, diminished in seconds, displays the sheer power and intelligence that AI harnesses. AI's easy accessibility may contribute to declining attention spans and reduced memory retention(Shanmugasundaram and Tamilarasu, 2023). The tried and true method of: searching for information, processing it, testing its reliability, and accepting it as truth is now frequently bypassed and obsolete due to the nature of AI’s almost instant response time.
Changing the normal learning process to the aforementioned expedited version inhibits patience and brain growth. Shors et al. describe how hippocampus neurogenesis—or lack thereof, occurs due to the learning frequency in an individual (2012). If technology is doing the learning for us, we aren’t getting any smarter, we’re just making it smarter. Additionally, solely relying on machine learning models to have the final say has resulted in questionable decisions in healthcare and the criminal justice system, posing imminent risks for society (Rudin, 2019).
However, AI is not the enemy—our overreliance is. Artificial Intelligence has come a long way in assisting humans in research, development, and business so we can focus on the bigger picture. Yet, if we as a collective remain complacent to a chatbot, our personal, professional, and neurological growth will be stunted (Grissinger, 2019). Due to its novelty, further research on AI and its effects on our brains and psychology is underway, which will encourage healthier usage and better outcomes for humans and future technology.
About the Author
Iyanuoluwa Shonukan (‘28) is a freshman at Harvard College intending to concentrate in psychology.
References
- Grissinger, M. (2019). Understanding Human Over-Reliance On Technology. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 44(6), 320. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6534180/
- Ismail Dergaa, Helmi Ben Saad, Glenn, J. M., Badii Amamou, Mohamed Ben Aissa, Noomen Guelmami, Feten Fekih-Romdhane, & Karim Chamari. (2024). From tools to threats: a reflection on the impact of artificial-intelligence chatbots on cognitive health. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1259845
- Rudin, C. (2019). Stop explaining black box machine learning models for high stakes decisions and use interpretable models instead. Nature Machine Intelligence, 1(5), 206–215. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-019-0048-x
- Shanmugasundaram, M., & Tamilarasu, A. (2023). The impact of digital technology, social media, and artificial intelligence on cognitive functions: a review. Frontiers in Cognition, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.3389/fcogn.2023.1203077
- Shors, T. J., Anderson, M. L., Curlik, D. M., & Nokia, M. S. (2012). Use it or lose it: How neurogenesis keeps the brain fit for learning. Behavioural Brain Research, 227(2), 450–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2011.04.023