The This cognitive. And if all the applications we use on our computers and smartphones deteriorate our memory And our intellectual capacities? This is what researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States are worried. At the end of June, a study (which was not evaluated by peers) was published to explain that using ChatGPT made our brain less effective. So, myth or reality?
What are these technologies that could degrade our cognitive capacities?
The search engine Googlele chatbot ChatGPT Or, our famous GPS… Their mission is simple: making our lives easier. And these applications do the job perfectly. A question about astronomy? Google has the answer. Need a cover letter model? L’artificial intelligence Write for you. Completely lost in the heart of a new city? Maps, Waze or even, via Michelin put you back on the right path. In short, you no longer even need to reflect on.
And for many scientists, that’s the problem
Yes, the use of all these applications allows us to relieve ourselves of some tasksbut at the cost of a real impact on our memory. Nawal Abboub, doctor in sciences cognitivesexplains the situation. “If technology allows you to make less effort to obtain the same benefit, the brain will naturally adopt it. And that does not mean that he is lazy […] It is wired to minimize cognitive costs in the face of an equivalent gain. “ This process is outsourcingor delegating certain tasks to applications.
In 2011, already, a study published in the journal Science showed that the brain had tended to forget more easily if it was aware that the information was easily recoverable. But this study is to be taken with tweezers because, in 2018 and 2020, scientists had tried to reproduce this scheme: without success. Because in sciencesa study alone is not valid.
Several research has been carried out, notably in 2025, on the effects of the use of ChatGPT. The chatbot not appeared in 2022, the long -term effects are still unknown. However, experts looked at the issue. The first results are not encouraging: memory lossdecrease in critical thinking or, falling creativity … So yes, it’s far from being good news, but Doctor Nawal Abboub wants to mitigate the subject.
“No, AI does not make us more stupid. It is like thinking than calculator prevents learning mathematics. Like any new tool brought by progress, there are good and misuse, that is why it is absolutely necessary to teach them. “ In short, used wisely, these applications can prove to be a real help and even help increase thebrain activity.
Article reference:
Chatgpt, Google, GPS: do these tools make us forget everything?
