There’s no shortage of studies showing how AI impacts our lives, jobs, businesses, and environment. However, when it comes to analyzing what AI is doing to our brains, we’re just starting to see the effects. A new study sheds some light on this unexplored aspect, and the findings are concerning.

Analyzing AI-driven cognitive offloading

Scientists carried out surveys and interviews with 666 individuals of diverse age groups and educational backgrounds who used various AI tools on a regular basis. They found some shocking insights into the relationship between growing AI use and its effects on human cognition. 

“Our study investigates the relationship between AI tool usage and critical thinking skills, focusing on cognitive offloading as a mediating factor.” Michael Gerlich, study author and the head of executive education at Swiss Business School (SBS), said. 

Cognitive offloading refers to the human tendency to rely on tools such as calculators, smartphones, and computers to reduce mental effort. While this saves time and energy, sometimes it makes us less skilled at doing those tasks independently. 

“I find myself using AI tools for almost everything—whether it’s finding a restaurant or making a quick decision at work. It saves time, but I do wonder if I’m losing my ability to think things through as thoroughly as I used to,” a study participant said.

Through his study, Gerlich explored how cognitive offloading from increasing AI use can affect human critical thinking skills. He first divided the participants into three age groups; 17 to 25, 26 to 45, and above 46. He then asked them to complete a questionnaire with four sections comprising 23 questions in total. 

The first section focused on demographic details, like age, education level, and occupation. The second section asked about how often participants use AI tools, and how much they rely on them for tasks like finding information and making decisions. 

The third section explored how much participants use digital devices, such as smartphones and computers, for memory and problem-solving tasks, which is known as cognitive offloading. Finally, the last section assessed the participants’ critical thinking skills, both through self-reports and direct evaluations. 

Additionally, “semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of 50 participants to gain deeper insights into the experiences and perceptions regarding AI tool usage and critical thinking,” Gerlich said. 

So how does AI usage affect your brain?

Gerlich found that among all age groups individuals who were well-educated were more likely to cross-check the information they gained from an AI program. Meanwhile, those with lower educational attainment didn’t evaluate the information provided to them by an AI. They simply followed what an AI program suggested to them. However, both highly educated and less educated individuals shared a common fear of losing critical thinking and problem-solving skills due to their reliance on AI.

“Across all age groups, there was a shared concern about the long-term impact of AI tools on cognitive skills. Participants expressed a belief that their reliance on AI might be diminishing their ability to think critically and solve problems independently,” Gerlich said.

The quantitative data from the study confirmed that increased AI use was linked to a rise in cognitive offloading and a decline in critical thinking skills. 

“The interviews corroborate the quantitative results, reinforcing the conclusion that heavy reliance on AI tools is associated with reduced critical thinking and increased cognitive offloading,” Gerlich added.

This rise and decline was more intense for younger AI users, compared to older participants. This was because the younger an individual was, the more he or she was dependent on AI tools.  

“It’s great to have all this information at my fingertips, but I sometimes worry that I’m not really learning or retaining anything. I rely so much on AI that I don’t think I’d know how to solve certain problems without it,” a younger participant said.

We must find the right balance

There is no doubt AI tools increase efficiency, save time, and allow humans to perform complex tasks with ease.  However, it is important to keep our essential cognitive skills (such as critical thinking) sharp, as they not only help us solve problems but also allow us to adapt to changes in both our personal and professional lives.

Realistically, AI tools are bound to become more and more popular. Does this automatically mean we’ll lose some of our cognitive skills? It seems likely. The findings from the study suggest that if we want to preserve our brain power, we need to start changing some things. In particular, we need new policies, teacher-training programs, and societal changes that ensure a balanced integration of AI, right from the school level to other high-level settings, the researchers say.  

“Educators and policymakers should promote balanced AI integration in educational settings, ensuring that AI tools complement rather than replace cognitive tasks,” Gerlich said.

The study is published in the journal Societies.