A new study looked at how using AI assistants like ChatGPT for writing tasks impacts the brain & thinking skills. It focussed on students writing essays but the findings have implications for workplace leaders. The researchers found that people who used AI used their brains less, created work that was “shallow” & “soulless”, remembered less & had less ownership of their work. Starting a piece of work with AI created a “cognitive debt” – people get short term benefits like more efficient writing but pay a price in reduced creativity & a mental laziness that sticks around & makes it harder to think critically later on. Even when peopled stopped using AI, their brain engagement stayed lower. People who started the work unaided by AI produced more original content with wider vocabulary & critical analysis. They retained stronger cognitive engagement even when later using AI. Implications: actions for workforce development 1. Prioritise critical thinking & problem-solving training: ensure people regularly engage in tasks that require independent thought & reasoning without AI assistance. 2. Encourage hybrid workflows: human first, AI second. 3. Implement continuous upskilling & reskilling: as AI rapidly changes job requirements, ensure people stay adaptable, resilient & capable of meeting evolving demands. 4. Use AI judiciously & monitor cognitive impact: regularly assess how using AI affects people’s engagement, learning & critical thinking & adjust policies to avoid undermining core human skills. Original article: arxiv.org/abs/2506.08872 via @PietroMicheli13 Summary & graphic from @IFLScience iflscience.com/this-is-your-b…
