The findings are based on an analysis of seven studies with more than 10,000 participants. The gist of their experiments went like this: the participants were told to learn about a topic, and were randomly assigned to either only use an AI chatbot like ChatGPT to do their research, or a standard search engine like Google. At the end, the participants were asked to write advice to a friend about what they learned.

A clear pattern emerged. The participants who used AI to do their research wrote shorter advice, with generic tips and less factual information, while the people who used a Google search produced more detailed and thoughtful tips. The pattern held even after controlling for factors like the information the users saw during their research by showing each group the same facts, or what tools they used.

Scientists are still only beginning to grasp the longterm effects of AI usage on the brain, but the body of evidence so far suggests alarming risks. One major study that turned heads was conducted by researchers from Carnegie Mellon and Microsoft, and found that people who trusted the accuracy of AI tools saw their critical thinking skills atrophy. Another study linked students who heavily relied on ChatGPT to memory loss and tanking grades.

“One of the most fundamental principles of skill development is that people learn best when they are actively engaged with the material they are trying to learn,” Melumad explained. “When we learn about a topic through Google search, we face much more ‘friction’: We must navigate different web links, read informational sources, and interpret and synthesize them ourselves.”

“But with LLMs,” Meluad added, “this entire process is done on the user’s behalf, transforming learning from a more active to passive process.”

While scientists continue to explore AI’s risks, the tech is making rapid inroads into education, where they’re a popular tool for cheating on assignments. Leaders like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic are spending millions of dollars to provide teachers training on how to use their AI products, while universities partner with these same firms to create their own tailor-made chatbots to foist on their students, like Duke University’s creatively named collaboration with OpenAI, “DukeGPT.”

Who could have possibly guessed that letting something else do your thinking for you would make you stupider?

Current Google is also complete shit, especially those AI summaries that top every search and are filled with false or outdated information because it's scraping stuff posted by other AI bots on bot websites. The internet sucks now and I hate it.