Over the past few months, multiple discussions have emerged across social media, predominantly questioning the long-term impact of using AI on our cognitive capabilities.
Microsoft researchers recently published an interesting study on the same issue, indicating that an overreliance and dependency on AI-powered tools like Copilot negatively impacts people’s critical thinking capabilities. Perhaps more concerning, it may contribute to the deterioration of cognitive faculties.
A separate study by OpenAI revealed that overdependency on ChatGPT may lead to loneliness, ultimately leading to a loss of confidence in decision-making.
OpenAI’s technical staff member Will Depue echoed similar sentiments, suggesting that AI ‘atrophies’ critical thinking, and might make some people dumber (via vitrupo on X).
AI won’t make everyone smarter. OpenAI’s Will Depue says it might make some people dumber.The top percentile becomes extremely overpowered—but many will fall behind. ChatGPT isn’t a universal boost. It’s an amplifier of extremes. pic.twitter.com/r7DhvLZ01RApril 7, 2025
According to Depue :
“I think the world just gets a lot more extreme. And I think this is just true with AI across the board, where I think the bottom percentile students are gonna fall behind. And I think the top percentile students are just gonna get extremely overpowered.”
“I think if I had this tool as a kid, I would just be like vastly smarter than I am now. Like even now, today, I just talk to ChatGPT everyday. I was like asking it random concepts like learning random things.”
“Went super down like, like deep down a bio rabbit hole yesterday and like rare supplements I could take from the internet, you know?”
“I think it’s an incredible tool for learning but I think it’s kind of bimodal. I think a lot of people are going to get dumber, I think a lot of people are gonna get smarter.”
Last year, I reported on some of the long-term implications of heavily relying on AI-powered tools like Copilot and ChatGPT based on feedback from users shared on social media. “I can really see that ChatGPT will make us more dumb as we will increasingly use AI without thinking and engaging our brain. Do other people share this opinion as well?” a Reddit user indicated.
Some even claimed that they’d “lost some brain cells,” further indicating that they’d lost motivation to leverage their critical thinking skills due to heavily leaning on AI-powered tools for a “quick fix.”
As AI becomes more advanced and technically smarter, it raises critical questions about its long-term effect on a user’s cognitive capabilities, as it is subtly revolutionizing the world, including education, possibly widening the knowledge gap.
