ChatGPT is actively making us more stupid

TikTok's case of the week revolves around a user asking ChatGPT to help them draft a grocery shopping list. It's hardly surprising. On social media, the debate over the sacred and profane uses of the AI-based chatbot is becoming increasingly heated and engaging. Broadly speaking, the factions can be divided as follows: those who use it for everything, having effectively replaced search engines, Wikipedia, colleagues, and classmates for advice and copying; and those who refuse to use it, citing data on the environmental impact of AI to defend their stance. Somewhere in between are perhaps the quieter users: those who turn to it only for technical and tedious tasks, such as translations, formatting, text editing, and coding work. 

ChatGPT in Our Daily Lives

The existence of an overuse problem with ChatGPT seems evident. By now, ChatGPT has not only replaced encyclopedias and research (sometimes getting it wrong, as it is a text aggregator that mimics thought patterns but does not actually think or weigh the information it retrieves and reproduces), but also dermatologists, psychologists, friends, and relatives. It writes our work emails, messages to situationships, shopping lists, plans our days, our pantries, our lives, and even our vacations. It has integrated itself so deeply into our daily routines that it is beginning to have a negative effect on our ability to discern true information from false—and more.

The Negative Effect of ChatGPT on Our Thinking: Studies and Research

A study from June 2023 indicates that AI significantly impacts the loss of human decision-making ability and promotes laziness, in addition to posing threats to security and privacy. Analyses reveal that 68.9% of human laziness, 68.6% of personal privacy and security issues, and 27.7% of decision-making loss can be attributed to the impact of artificial intelligence within the examined sample. In an article published in the Saint Mary’s University student gazette in January 2024, Nicholas Lapierre points out that artificial intelligence can negatively affect not only our ability to discern information and study but also motivation, productivity, memory, and learning capacity. The research continues to grow, and the findings do not paint a rosy picture. 

Prevention and Education on the Use of the Tool

Experts across various fields—from psychology to economics to neurology—agree that a way to curb this complete deterioration of thought and soft skills, at work, in school, and in life, is to educate users on how to use the tool responsibly, prevent excessive usage, and guide its application. This is no easy feat, especially considering we live in a country, Italy, where prevention and education are underfunded even when it comes to mental health, eating disorders, and sexual and emotional education. It is even harder when discussing a tool that seems revolutionary in its ability to simplify life in countless ways. At what cost? Something needs to be done. If not for us, then for the younger generations just entering school, who are likely to be the most negatively influenced by the pervasive use of generative AI. After all, thinking itself is a result of education, guidance, and healthy habits.