In a new experiment, people who solved math problems with ChatGPT did worse than those who never used AI once the chatbot was taken away — and many simply gave up.
Researchers split participants into two groups to work on fraction problems. One group solved them on their own; the other used ChatGPT for help. At first, the AI group was more accurate.
After the AI was switched off
The moment the chatbot was taken away, the AI group's performance fell below the control group, and many started skipping questions or giving up altogether. The same thing happened when the problems were swapped for SAT reading passages.
'Answers arrive in seconds, so you get used to that speed; anything slower feels inefficient,' a press release summarised.
Cognitive decline at record speed
The harmful effects of smartphones on attention took years to appear in the data. The mental laziness caused by chatbots is nearly immediate.
The good news is that no one knows yet whether the effect is permanent. The bad news is that it happens so fast we may not have time to understand what we're playing with.
Why it matters
For the first time, a vague worry has been turned into a clear behavioural signal: using AI for homework improves your speed at handing it in, not your ability to think. When the thrill of skipping effort is more immediate than thinking, people will quietly give up the slower mental work that lets us understand the world and make decisions.
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