A recent article in the NY Times written by a Yale professor cites an MIT study of students writing essays with and without the use of Gen A.I. The ones who used A.I. began to suffer from a condition they called “cognitive debt”—weaker brain activity.
Wait, what? Students get dumber using A.I.?
When you think about it, it makes total sense.
Instant information access removes the research journey where can you learn all sorts of things, and the lessons stick. Even diversions like Fortnite, pounding Red Bulls, or reading twenty irrelevant pages add layers to the learning experience. And “experience” is the key word. You learn by doing not by having the answer handed to you.
When they use AI, students are behind the 8-ball even before they even start writing, which they also don’t learn anything about.
Gen AI might be able to write an essay, but it’s not going to have a happy ending.
