We’re teasing, of course. But as the world obsessively wonders about the future of AI, a new study from MIT provides interesting context on the potential effects it could have on our brains.
The MIT Study TL;DR
Researchers asked 50 subjects between the ages of 18 to 39 write an essay. Subjects were divided into three groups: one used ChatGPT, another used Google, and the third used no tools at all. Disclaimer: the study has not been peer reviewed and reflects a small sample size. Here’s what they found:
ChatGPT users had the lowest brain activity across 32 regions and “consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.” These results worsened as the subjects continued using the LLM tool. Additional observations:
- There was little variance between various subjects’ ChatGPT essays
- The ChatGPT essays were assessed as “soulless”
- The “brain-only” group experienced more brain activity, was more engaged with the exercise overall, and was prouder of their results
- … similar results to the brain-only groups were found in the Googlers!
Next, researchers flipped things around. ChatGPT users had to write another essay with no access to LLMs. This group wasn’t able to remember their previous work and showed weaker brain activity. Conversely, the Brain-Only group continued to perform well.
Our Stance on Generative AI Tools
At Reify Creative, open-mindedness is one of our core values. It’s critical to fostering creativity, high-quality work, compassion, and overall happiness. We’re more than happy to use AI tools whenever they make sense. But what does that mean?
We’ll use AI tools when:
- It frees up time for more important tasks without affecting quality
- It generates more creativity
- It safely automates tasks without damaging the work or relationships
There are lots of agencies out there who use AI tools to churn out content, with or without the human touch before posting. If the MIT study is accurate, that means these agencies contributing to the dumbing-down of society at large.
So, yes—we use AI tools (there’s a world of ‘em beyond ChatGPT, by the way), but we prioritize strategy, creativity, and personal connection above all. We look at it like this: the “best” way to prepare a meal is from scratch with home-grown ingredients whenever possible. But do most of us do that? Nah. But there’s a wide spectrum between mom’s tomato sauce with vegetables from her garden and eating McDonald’s (no shame in eating McDonald’s, btw—you do you). AI isn’t good or bad. Like anything else, it’s all in how you approach it. And we do our best to approach everything with positive intent that helps make the world a better place.
