Large language models grab more cognitive tasks every day. Researchers warn this outsourcing dulls your brainpower.
Nataliya Kosmyna spotted identical cover letters while hiring interns. Applicants jumped from intros to forced links with her work. She knew AI wrote them.
At MIT, Kosmyna teaches human-computer interaction. She noticed students forget material faster than before. LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude seemed the culprit.
Kosmyna fears over-reliance harms language skills and basic thinking. Studies label this “cognitive offloading.” It risks serious mental decline.
One study tracked ChatGPT users. Their brain activity dropped up to 55% during tasks.
Tools reshape thinking. Search engines sparked the “Google effect.” People skip memorizing facts they can Google. Yet some say it frees brains for bigger ideas.
LLMs go further. They craft poetry, offer finance tips, provide companionship, and do student homework. Young people suffer most in critical thinking.
Kosmyna probes deeper into these brain changes.
