"A recent MIT Media Lab study reported that "excessive reliance on AI-driven solutions" may contribute" to "cognitive atrophy" and shrinking of critical thinking abilities. The study is small and is not peer-reviewed, and yet it delivers a warning that even artificial intelligence assistants are willing to acknowledge. When we asked ChatGPT whether AI can make us dumber or smarter, it answered, "It depends on how we engage with it: as a crutch or a tool for growth.""
"Many students use AI without a good understanding of how it works in a computational/Bayesian sense, and this leads to putting too much confidence in its output. So, teaching them to be critical and discerning about how they use it and what it offers is important. But even more important is helping them understand how their embodied human minds work and how powerful they can be when used well. The work in neuroscience makes a compelling case that, while human minds are computational and use Bayesian processes, they are "better than Bayesian" in many ways. For instance, the work of Antonio Damasio and others highlights how our somatic markers enable us to make quick, intuitive leaps. Research from my lab found that kindergarteners used strateg"
A small MIT Media Lab study reported that excessive reliance on AI-driven solutions may contribute to cognitive atrophy and shrinking critical thinking abilities, though the study was small and not peer-reviewed. AI's effect depends on how people engage with it: as a crutch or as a tool for growth. Many students lack a computational or Bayesian understanding of AI and therefore place undue confidence in its outputs. Teaching critical, discerning use of AI and strengthening awareness of embodied human cognitive strengths, including somatic markers and intuitive leaps, can help preserve and enhance critical thinking alongside AI tools.
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