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NEW YORK, July 02, 2025
AI and Recall: A New Study Shows the Connection
AI assistance may impact memory.
- Using generative AI may reduce memory retention.
- Brain activity differs when using AI versus working independently.
- The study highlights the need for more research on AI’s cognitive effects.
- Delaying AI integration in education may promote cognitive autonomy.
An MIT study indicates that using generative AI to complete tasks may lead to reduced recall compared to relying solely on one’s own cognitive abilities.
A recent MIT study explored how the human brain functions when using generative AI tools. The preliminary study, involving 54 participants, suggests that relying on tools like ChatGPT may impact cognitive processes. The study examined participants’ brain activity while writing essays, revealing differences in memory and neural connectivity.
Inside the MIT Study
Researchers divided 54 participants into three groups. Each group wrote essays over several weeks. one group used ChatGPT, another used a search engine, and the third relied solely on their own knowledge. The researchers then analyzed the essays,interviewed the participants,and recorded brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG).
The language analysis revealed that the “brain-only” group displayed more distinct writing styles. Participants in this group also demonstrated better recall and were able to quote their work more effectively compared to those who used search engines or large language models.
Key Findings
The EEG results showed higher neural connectivity in the “brain-only” group. Nataliya Kosmyna, a research scientist at MIT and the lead author of the study, noted the importance of understanding these differences.”The idea was to look closer to understand that it’s different, but how is it different?” she said.
The study indicated that the group using large language models showed “weaker memory traces, reduced self-monitoring and fragmented authorship.” The authors cautioned that over-reliance on these tools could hinder knowledge internalization and a sense of ownership, notably in educational settings.
After writing three essays,participants were reassigned to different groups. Interestingly, those initially in the “brain-only” group showed higher brain activity even when using a large language model.
Is AI “Brainrot?”
Kosmyna clarified that the study did not conclude that ChatGPT use causes long-term brain damage. The research focused on brain activity and memory recall during the writing process. Understanding the long-term effects of AI use necessitates further research. Kosmyna suggested exploring other applications like coding and using technologies like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Genevieve Stein-O’Brien, assistant professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, who was not involved in the MIT study, believes the essential brain structure is established early in life. “All of this happens way before you ever interact wiht ChatGPT or anything like that,” Stein-O’Brien said. “There is a lot of infrastructure that is set up,and that is very robust.”
The effects of AI on children, who are increasingly exposed to the technology, remain a concern, although studying children raises ethical issues.
Why Study Essay Writing?
Robert Cummings, a professor of writing and rhetoric at the University of mississippi, explains that writing essays develops critical thinking. “We start out with what we know when we begin writing, but in the act of writing, we end up framing the next questions and thinking about new ideas or new content to explore,” Cummings said.
Cummings conducted a study involving sentence completion technology, where half the participants used computers with Google Smart compose enabled. The results showed no notable difference in the amount or complexity of writing. “Thay weren’t writing in different sentence lengths, with different levels of complexity of ideas,” he told me. “It was straight-up equal.”
However, ChatGPT represents a different paradigm. Unlike sentence completion, some participants in the MIT study copied and pasted AI-generated text without fully engaging with the content. “My personal opinion is that when students are using generative AI to replace their writing, they’re kind of surrendering, they’re not actively engaged in their project any longer,” Cummings said.
the MIT study revealed higher engagement levels in participants who initially wrote without AI tools. “Taken together, these findings support an educational model that delays AI integration until learners have engaged in sufficient self-driven cognitive effort,” the study authors wrote. “Such an approach may promote both immediate tool efficacy and lasting cognitive autonomy.”
Cummings now teaches composition classes without devices, focusing on personal topics that are harder to feed into large language models. “I’m not going back,” he said.
How does generative AI impact memory and learning?
Generative AI tools may hinder memory retention and cognitive engagement during task completion,as indicated by an MIT study. The research suggests that relying on AI can lead to reduced neural connectivity and a weaker sense of ownership over the created content, highlighting the importance of self-driven cognitive effort in learning.
