Study suggests AI chatbots may become a “cognitive crutch” for memory

AI chatbots may function as a “cognitive crutch” that weakens our capacity to hold on to information, according to a new study.

André Barcaui’s ChatGPT experiment with 120 university students

The research was led by AI specialist André Barcaui at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, using an experiment involving 120 university students. Participants were split into two groups: one group could use ChatGPT to help complete an assignment about artificial intelligence, while the other group had to manage without it.

After the assignment, the participants were unexpectedly tested 45 days later. Students who had used ChatGPT achieved an average score of 5.75 out of 10. Those who followed a traditional study approach averaged 6.85 out of 10.

That gap is significant. Although the study is modest in both sample size and duration, it fits with other research indicating that when we rely on AI to obtain information, we absorb less of it ourselves.

“This suggests that unrestricted ChatGPT use impaired long-term retention, likely by reducing the cognitive effort that supports durable memory,” writes Barcaui in his published paper.

How AI assistants make information easy to access

Open ChatGPT or a similar AI tool and you can request an instant overview of almost any subject, such as:

• DNA
  
• 1950s films
  
• Roman history
  
• the best workouts for the over-50s
  

The responses are generated from a huge volume of training data gathered from the open web and other sources, and they are frequently wrong.

What the students were asked to do (and what ChatGPT was allowed to do)

In the study, students were given a couple of weeks to study artificial intelligence, then required to deliver a 10-minute presentation on the topic.

For half of the group, ChatGPT could be used to look up information online and to synthesise, explain, and organise that information, as well as to offer examples. The remaining students had to use conventional, non-AI research techniques.

The researchers also balanced the two groups by previous exposure to AI chatbots like ChatGPT. There were no complete beginners or true specialists, but more than half of the students said they were frequent AI users.

Test scores, score spread, and time spent

Beyond achieving higher marks by an 11 percent margin-which could be equivalent to an entire grade in a typical exam-students using traditional learning approaches also tended to cluster towards the top of the score range. By contrast, results for students who used ChatGPT were more widely dispersed.

However, learning did appear faster with AI support. On average, the ChatGPT group spent 3.2 hours on the task, whereas the non-AI group spent 5.8 hours.

Cognitive offloading, “digital amnesia”, and the “desirable difficulties” principle

The notion of cognitive offloading-using external aids to reduce mental effort-is not new. Historically, that could mean relying on calculators or textbooks.

In 2011, a team led by psychologist Betsy Sparrow at Columbia University described what would later be called “digital amnesia”: the impact of search engines such as Google on our ability to remember information.

With AI assistants increasingly able to take on a significant share of our mental workload, research suggests they may be altering how we think, perceive, concentrate, and remember-and not necessarily in positive ways.

“The findings align with cognitive offloading theory and the ‘desirable difficulties’ principle: while AI assistance may ease initial learning, it appears to undermine the effortful processes needed for robust learning,” writes Barcaui.

Several studies now indicate that tools like ChatGPT may be depriving our brains of the mental exercise they require, with consequences that follow.

This is before even factoring in AI’s demands on natural resources, or the errors it so often produces.

Using ChatGPT carefully in education

Barcaui is broadly optimistic about AI’s promise as a research and educational aid, but argues it needs careful handling. In this student experiment, ChatGPT appeared to reduce both effective uptake of information and the ability to recall it later.

“Future teaching strategies should aim to harness the benefits of AI without sacrificing the cognitive engagement and productive struggle required for durable learning,” writes Barcaui.

“In the age of AI, the core principles of human learning are not outdated; in fact, they are more important than ever to uphold.”

The research has been published in Social Sciences & Humanities Open.