AI-Based Conversations and Education: MIT's Study on the Impact of ChatGPT on Learners and Teachers
In a recent study, the cognitive effects of using AI tools like ChatGPT in the classroom have come under scrutiny. The lead author of the study, Kosmyna, emphasizes the importance of researching the impact of AI on students, not just from institutions like MIT, but also in local school districts and settings.
The study, dubbed "Your Brain on ChatGPT," involved 54 participants aged 18 to 39, divided into three groups. One group used ChatGPT for help in writing a short paper, another group was allowed to use a search engine, and a third group wrote their essays without the use of external tools.
The findings were striking. Participants who used ChatGPT exhibited the lowest brain connectivity and cognitive engagement while writing compared to those who used search engines or wrote without any external tools. Specifically, the ChatGPT group showed significantly weaker brain activity, as measured by EEG, indicating reduced neural communication between brain regions.
On the other hand, those writing essays without AI assistance had the strongest and most complex brain connectivity, reflecting higher cognitive engagement. The search engine group showed intermediate brain activity levels between ChatGPT users and independent writers.
The study also revealed reduced memory retention and a sense of ownership for essays written using ChatGPT. Participants relying on AI tools struggled to recall content they had just written and felt less personal connection to their essays, a phenomenon termed "cognitive offloading."
Interestingly, when ChatGPT users were asked to write without AI later, they still exhibited lower brain connectivity than those who had never used it, implying a lingering effect on cognitive engagement.
The study, while not yet officially published in a scientific journal, has received significant attention in the education world and beyond. It suggests that using ChatGPT for essay writing reduces brain activity linked to effortful thinking and memory, potentially impacting learning and skill development, especially if AI tools are introduced too early in the educational process.
Kosmyna has completed follow-up research that looks at how ChatGPT impacts brain activity and quality when students engage in a coding and programming activity. The research only looked at the impact of ChatGPT on a specific skill, writing, and the study's findings may not necessarily apply to other areas of learning.
However, Kosmyna stresses the need for further research, particularly on younger teenagers and children, to fully understand the implications of AI use in the classroom. If the results hold up in further research, it could have major impacts for when and how AI tools are introduced in the classroom.
- The study's findings revealed that students who used ChatGPT exhibited lower brain connectivity and cognitive engagement while writing compared to those who used search engines or wrote without any external tools.
- The lead author of the study, Kosmyna, has completed follow-up research that looks at how ChatGPT impacts brain activity and quality when students engage in a coding and programming activity.
- Kosmyna emphasizes the need for further research, particularly on younger teenagers and children, to fully understand the implications of AI use in the classroom, as the results could have major impacts for when and how AI tools are introduced in the educational process.
- The study suggests that using AI tools like ChatGPT for essay writing could potentially impact learning and skill development, especially if AI tools are introduced too early in the educational process, a point of concern for education and self-development.
