Neurological disorders

MIT Study: ChatGPT Use May Harm Students' Brain Activity

JUN 20 2025·Updated JUN 21 2025

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The Facts

As part of a study on the neural and behavioral consequences of LLM-assisted essay writing, MIT Media Lab researchers divided 54 students aged 18-39 from the Boston area into three groups and asked them to write SAT essays using ChatGPT, a Google search, or no external assistance over four months.
Daily Mail
Australian
Research Gate
According to their study, students who used ChatGPT consistently showed the lowest brain connectivity and engagement, performed worse than their counterparts at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels, and recorded reduced activity in areas associated with memory, creativity, and executive function compared to other groups.
New York Post
Psychology Today
IFLScience
The ChatGPT group struggled significantly with memory retention, as 83% reported difficulty quoting their essays after the first session, while 100% of both search engine and brain-only participants could quote their work by the third session.
The Hill
Time
CIOTIMES
Essays produced by ChatGPT users were statistically homogeneous within each topic and described by English teachers as "soulless," lacking original thought, and relying on similar expressions and ideas. Meanwhile, participants with brain-only stimulation produced more diverse and original content.
MIT Media Lab
Time
Medium
Researchers monitored the students' brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) scans across 32 distinct brain regions. Students who initially wrote without assistance and then used ChatGPT in a fourth session showed significant increases in brain connectivity across all EEG frequency bands.
Analytics India Magazine
Psychology Today
Time
The study's lead author, Nataliya Kosmyna, who released the findings before peer review, stated that policymakers might implement "GPT kindergarten" programs in six to eight months, adding that developing brains are at the highest risk from AI dependence and cognitive offloading effects.
The Hill
Time
Australian

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The Spin

Techno-skeptic narrative

This research confirms what many educators suspected — AI tools like ChatGPT are creating a generation of cognitively lazy students. The brain scans don't lie: when students rely on AI, their neural networks shut down, memory formation weakens, and critical thinking atrophies. These aren't just temporary effects either — the cognitive debt accumulates over months, leaving students unable to recall or engage with their work.

Psychology Today

Daily Mail

MDPI

Techno-optimist narrative

The study's methodology is flawed, and its conclusions are overstated — 54 students from a single geographic area hardly represent a comprehensive analysis of AI's educational impact. AI applications in education must be designed collaboratively, as students need these skills to compete in tomorrow's economy. Rather than fear-mongering about "cognitive debt," educators should focus on teaching strategic AI collaboration.