Can AI Dull Human Brain? Doctor Warns Of Impact On Memory, Language And Recall

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Constant usage of artificial intelligence (AI) might adversely impact the human brain in the long run. While doctors warn that AI might not be damaging to the brain itself, concerns arise when one depends on AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and others, for every activity, thereby preventing them from making independent decisions.

Effects of AI tools on human brain

Dr Girish Nair, senior consultant, neurology at Apollo Navi Mumbai, told Livemint, "When we understand something properly, we do more than just read it. We process it, question it, connect it to what we already know and then form our own understanding. If AI gives us a ready-made summary every time, we may save time, but we are also doing less of that mental work ourselves."

What is cognitive offloading?

In medical terms, this is called cognitive offloading. Cognitive offloading is the usage of an external tool to reduce the mental processing demand of a task.

There is nothing wrong with seeking external help in our lives, such as using calculators, taking notes and relying on search engines. The problem begins once an individual stops making the effort to pause, think, analyse and solve a problem on their own.

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Complete dependence on AI tools may reduce the amount of practice we get in doing tasks ourselves. It is likely to impact one's working memory, recall, problem-solving, language skills and decision-making.

"Take something as simple as writing an email. If AI writes every email from the first sentence, we are doing less of the work involved in organising our thoughts, choosing the right words and deciding how we want to communicate.

"Getting an answer quickly is useful, but the brain also benefits from going through the steps needed to reach that answer," said Dr Nair.

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According to him, the way AI is used by children particularly needs more attention than by adults.

Children continue to develop important cognitive skills such as attention, memory, problem-solving and self-control.

Using AI to explain a difficult concept after the child has tried and failed to understand it can be useful. However, if AI is regularly used in writing the homework, solving the maths problem or preparing the answer from the beginning, the child gets less opportunity to develop those skills independently, warns the doctor.

Should we stop using AI now?

However, this does not mean that one should immediately stop using AI tools.

"The important thing is how and when we use it. Try doing the first round yourself and then use AI to check your work, identify gaps or offer another perspective. That way, the brain remains actively involved," the neurologist said, offering a balanced approach.

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