A MIT study revealed that the use of chatgpt, a generative artificial intelligence tool, reduces students’ brain activity in areas related to learning. Those who used AI to write a text displayed up to 55 % less brain activity than those who did not use it. They also felt more difficult to remember the content of their text and felt less like the authors of what they had produced.
Although research has focused on a small group and students, its conclusions raise questions relevant to all, especially with the growing accessibility of generative artificial intelligence tools. So, how to use AI without compromising your cognitive commitment?
1) Understand how the influence your reflection
Before deciding when or how to use AI, you have to understand how it works, and what it involves for your own reflection.
Generative AI does not think: it predicts the most likely words or sentences from large databases. For each word, AI calculates the probability of correspondence and chooses the one who is most likely to follow logically. This statistical operation can generate useful results, but also errors, inconsistencies or responses disconnected from the context.
These tools are often compared to mirrors, the results reflecting the clarity of your requests. A vague question usually leads to a vague answer. Understanding this logic allows you to better use AI, test the limits and learn to recognize when it is useful, and when it is not.
2) Use AI to save time, not to think about you
Artificial intelligence can effectively automate simple tasks such as reformulating a text, generating an email, organizing notes or popularizing a subject. In these cases, it saves you time and lightens your mental charge, while allowing you to be more productive.
But, for more complex tasks, such as writing a test or a report, it is better to think about it twice. The study of MIT suggests that delegating the writing of a chatgpt text reduces brain activity, especially in areas linked to working memory and critical thinking.
Thus, planning, structuring and formulating your ideas are essential to fully understand and retain information.
AI can therefore assist you, but it should not always do the job for you. Think about the role of the tool. Does he help you, or does he replace you? Is it a simple task that will save you time without much consequence, or is it a complex task that requires a sustained cognitive commitment?
3) Stay critical in the face of results
Considering that AI may seem very convincing, it is all the more essential to keep a critical look at its answers. Since AI is content to produce statistically plausible results without necessarily worrying about the truth, there is a risk of error, generalization, or even information invention. For example, AI could invent data, or even provide inadequate or outdated advice. Even if the answer is well formulated, it is not necessarily true.
Treat AI answers as drafts or starting points. Reread them carefully, validate the information from reliable sources, then adapt the content to your intentions. This evaluation effort allows you to remain master of your ideas, deepen your understanding and enrich the quality of your work, rather than completely delegate your cognitive capacities.
By remaining curious, active and critical, you can make the most of AI without putting your brain on the upset.
Read also: from AI to your computer, do you need it? and Chatgpt: do not leave him personal information
