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Research from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University, suggests that relying on AI can lead to a decline in human critical thinking, memory, and language skills. This phenomenon is described as a potential “atrophy” of cognitive abilities, similar to how physical muscles weaken without use.
The core argument is that as people increasingly offload tasks requiring critical thinking to AI tools (like ChatGPT for writing), they practice these skills less themselves. This leads to a self-reported “atrophying” of capabilities in areas such as writing, analysis, and critical evaluation.
Participants in the study who highly trusted AI outputs were less likely to double-check or scrutinize the information provided. This is particularly concerning given that AI models still tend to produce inaccurate information. Some respondents reported starting to doubt their abilities to perform tasks they previously handled with ease.
This increased reliance on AI led them to automatically accept AI-generated content. When under time pressure, users were even more likely to bypass critical thinking and simply accept AI outputs without thorough review.
Carnegie Mellon researchers coined this term to describe how increasing reliance on AI for repetitive tasks can lead to homogenized outputs. People might use similar prompts and default to standard templates, potentially stifling creative thinking and diversity in problem-solving.
If workers’ thinking skills decline due to AI reliance, the quality of their professional work might suffer. As Socrates famously worried that writing would lead to the erosion of memory, as people would no longer need to retain information internally.
The decreased scrutiny of AI outputs, coupled with AI’s inaccuracies, also raises the risk of people accepting and propagating false or distorted information. In educational settings, concerns are raised that students might rely on AI to complete assignments, bypassing the crucial development of skills like argumentation, synthesis, and originality.
