Over-reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) technology proves to be destructive to human intelligence.
This revelation was revealed in a new study.
The study examined the relationship between AI and human cognitive function and found that frequent use of AI technology negatively affected critical thinking skills.
The aim of the research, from the SBS Swiss Business School in Switzerland, was to determine the impact of relying on ChatGPT or other AI models for answers on humans.
Mental functions are affected when people rely too much on external support and avoid deep thinking, the researchers said.
He stated that this effect is more worrisome in terms of critical thinking, which helps one analyze and examine details.
For the research, experts conducted surveys and interviews with 666 people.
These interviews and surveys examined how much people use AI technology. They found that younger people do so the most, while those over the age of 46 use the technology the least.
The results showed that young people had the lowest scores on tests related to critical thinking, while middle-aged people had the highest scores.
However, the critical thinking skills of highly educated people are not affected by the use of AI.
The researchers said the results show that dependence on AI tools comes at a cost: a decline in cognitive function.
According to the research, the results also prove that the use of AI helps in learning basic skills but damages higher mental functions.
The study pointed out that caution is necessary about the use of AI, otherwise the ability to analyze is greatly affected.
The researchers acknowledged that the study relied on people’s statements and that more research or experiments would be needed to confirm the results.
However, the results suggest that this effect is preventable, meaning that critical thinking can be protected by higher education or training in the use of AI, he said.
He said that it has always been clear that excessive dependence on external sources leads to the degradation of internal mental abilities.
The results of this research were published in the journal Societies.
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