Are We Living in a Golden Age of Stupidity? Examining AI’s Impact on Human Intelligence
In a rapidly advancing technological era dominated by artificial intelligence (AI), concerns are mounting about the effect these innovations have on our cognitive abilities. From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab in Cambridge, where futuristic AI-driven inventions abound, to everyday users increasingly reliant on AI tools like ChatGPT, questions arise about whether technology is making us less capable thinkers.
The MIT Experiment: AI and the Brain’s Activity
At MIT, research scientist Nataliya Kosmyna studies how brain-computer interfaces might one day help people with neurodegenerative diseases communicate through thought alone. More recently, she has been investigating another phenomenon: how regular use of large language models like ChatGPT might be altering users’ brain functions.
Kosmyna and colleagues conducted an experiment with 54 university students to monitor brain activity using electroencephalograms while participants wrote essays in different conditions—without digital aid, with internet search engines, and with ChatGPT assistance. The results were striking. Those who wrote using ChatGPT showed significantly reduced neural connectivity related to cognition, attention, and creativity compared to those writing unaided.
Moreover, when asked if they could recall what they had written immediately after submitting their essays, participants relying on ChatGPT struggled to remember any exact content. “Barely anyone in the ChatGPT group could give a quote,” Kosmyna noted. This suggests that while AI can generate coherent textual outputs, it may do so at the cost of users’ deeper engagement and memory retention.
The Need for Cognitive Friction
Kosmyna emphasizes that learning demands “friction” — mental challenge and effort that promote deep understanding. However, humans naturally seek shortcuts to ease effort, a tendency exploited by increasingly “frictionless” digital experiences. From self-checkouts and smartphone calculators to Google Maps navigation and AI-generated text, technology minimizes the mental effort required in everyday tasks.
This convenience can unintentionally diminish essential cognitive skills such as synthesis, critical thinking, and information retention. Writing essays, for example, not only communicates ideas but hones the ability to consider multiple perspectives and formulate coherent arguments—skills fundamental beyond academia into everyday decision making.
Teachers worldwide are already expressing alarm that AI tools enable students to produce work without truly learning or understanding the material. This prompts fears that AI could lead to a “stupidogenic society,” similar to the concept of an “obesogenic society” where environments foster unhealthy physical habits.
Broader Cognitive Trends and Historical Parallels
Worryingly, broader data echo these concerns. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) notes that standardized test scores measuring reading, math, and science proficiency peaked around 2012, with some developed countries seeing declines since. Similarly, after a century of rising IQ scores linked to better nutrition and education, many nations report decreasing IQ trends.
Skepticism about new technologies is not new. Ancient philosopher Socrates feared that writing would degrade memory and superficialize knowledge—a critique analogous to today’s worries about AI. Yet history shows that writing and subsequent innovations like the printing press and the internet ultimately democratized knowledge, enabling more people to access, create, and share ideas more broadly.
The Risk of Overdependence on AI
Still, what distinguishes AI is not just information access but its capacity to generate content with minimal human input. Kosmyna warns against the hasty deployment of AI products without fully understanding their psychological and cognitive consequences. She describes users of AI as becoming increasingly passive and dependent, putting intellectual autonomy at risk amid an expanding digital ecosystem that thrives on frictionless interaction.
As AI-generated misinformation and deepfakes proliferate, the challenge will be preserving critical thinking and skepticism. When minds become reliant on technology to the point that independent thought falters, society may face significant obstacles in maintaining intellectual freedom.
Looking Ahead: Balancing Innovation with Cognitive Health
While AI promises remarkable benefits—connecting those unable to communicate, streamlining tasks, and expanding knowledge—it also compels society to confront how technology reshapes human cognition. The future demands careful research and mindful integration of AI tools to ensure they augment rather than erode essential cognitive functions.
In essence, technology has always transformed how humans think and learn; the printing press, television, and internet have expanded knowledge access and collaboration. The question now is: will AI serve as another step forward in human creativity and understanding, or will it usher in a new era of diminished intellectual engagement?
Only time, coupled with thoughtful examination, will reveal whether this is a golden age of enlightenment or of stupidity. In the meantime, embracing mental challenge and fostering deep learning remain vital as we navigate our AI-influenced future.
