ChatGPT use linked to cognitive decline: MIT research
ChatGPT can harm an individual's critical thinking over time, a new study suggests.
Researchers at MIT's Media Lab asked subjects to write several SAT essays and separated subjects into three groups — using OpenAI's ChatGPT, using Google's search engine and using nothing, which they called the 'brain‑only' group. Each subject's brain was monitored through electroencephalography (EEG), which measured the writer's brain activity through multiple regions in the brain.
They discovered that subjects who used ChatGPT over a few months had the lowest brain engagement and 'consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels,' according to the study.
The study found that the ChatGPT group initially used the large language model, or LLM, to ask structural questions for their essay, but near the end of the study, they were more likely to copy and paste their essay.
Those who used Google's search engine were found to have moderate brain engagement, but the 'brain-only' group showed the 'strongest, wide-ranging networks.'
The findings suggest that using LLMs can harm a user's cognitive function over time, especially in younger users. It comes as educators continue to navigate teaching when AI is increasingly accessible for cheating.
'What really motivated me to put it out now before waiting for a full peer review is that I am afraid in 6-8 months, there will be some policymaker who decides, 'let's do GPT kindergarten.' I think that would be absolutely bad and detrimental,' the study's main author Nataliya Kosmyna told TIME. 'Developing brains are at the highest risk.'
However, using AI in education doesn't appear to be slowing down. In April, President Trump signed an executive order that aims to incorporate AI into U.S. classrooms.
'The basic idea of this executive order is to ensure that we properly train the workforce of the future by ensuring that school children, young Americans, are adequately trained in AI tools, so that they can be competitive in the economy years from now into the future, as AI becomes a bigger and bigger deal,' Will Scharf, White House staff secretary, said at the time.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Business News
2 hours ago
- Time Business News
Visibility Reimagined: When SEO Meets the Age of AI
Search is experiencing its biggest transformation since Google launched PageRank. Large language models, real-time generative answers and context-aware recommendation engines now filter the web before humans ever see a blue link. To stay visible, brands must understand how artificial intelligence evaluates information—and how to become the source AI trusts. Classic Search Engine Optimization (Søkemotoroptimalisering) was built on spiders that 'indexed' pages; relevance was a function of term frequency and backlinks. AI-first systems go further. They parse entities, analyze topical depth and gauge sentiment to decide which sources power their summaries. If your content isn't structured for machine comprehension—clear headers, schema markup, semantic HTML—you're invisible to these gatekeepers, no matter how many keywords you target. Practical upgrade: Implement schema types that match your expertise (e.g., FAQPage, Article, Product). This helps language models map relationships between concepts and pull accurate facts into generated answers. Algorithms now consider hundreds of credibility cues: author biographies, citations from authoritative domains, consistent NAP data, positive review velocity, even off-site engagement on platforms like GitHub or scholarly databases. Authority is no longer a vanity metric; it's a survival requirement. Checklist to signal trust: Publish expert bylines with verifiable credentials. Secure guest articles or quotes on niche-leading publications. Maintain coherent brand profiles across social, review and knowledge graph properties. Audit toxic or irrelevant backlinks—AI models penalize mixed signals. Topic clusters—pillar pages surrounded by supportive sub-topics—act like semantic maps. They show AI where your expertise starts and how deep it runs. Interlinking these assets, using descriptive anchor text and embedding structured FAQs, gives models a rich dataset to draw from when crafting responses. Advanced tip: Add short 'Key Takeaways' boxes summarizing facts. Many AI engines prefer concise, structured statements they can quote verbatim. Digital PR, podcast appearances, and citations in industry white papers build reputation far faster than on-site blogging alone. These off-site mentions feed the same data lakes that train conversational AI, making your brand a recognized entity rather than just another URL. Strategy in action: Target 5–7 high-authority domains relevant to your niche each quarter. Prioritize depth (in-depth interviews, case studies) over breadth (one-line mentions). Rankings and organic sessions still matter, but leading indicators now include: Metric Why It Matters AI Snippet Share Frequency your brand is cited in generative answers or 'People Also Ask' boxes Brand Mention Velocity Month-over-month growth in off-site mentions across trusted domains Knowledge Graph Presence Whether Google and Bing surface a knowledge panel for your brand/personnel Lead Attribution to AI Surfaces Form fills or demos that originate from AI recommendations Tracking these KPIs paints a clearer picture of your authority trajectory. Schema Everywhere: Add structured data to every core page. Topic Depth Audit: Expand thin content into authoritative guides with related FAQs. Thought Leadership Sprint: Publish or appear on at least one respected third-party site monthly. Sentiment Management: Solicit reviews; respond to negative feedback promptly. AI Surface Monitoring: Use tools that detect brand presence in generative search results; iterate content based on gaps. Executing this roadmap demands cross-functional skills—technical SEO, content strategy, PR outreach and data analysis. SalesUp integrates these disciplines into one framework, using high-authority publishing, AI-aligned optimization and conversion-focused UX to elevate clients from 'indexed' to 'recommended' status. In the age of AI, visibility is no longer a by-product of keyword rankings; it's the outcome of strategic authority building. Brands that embed trust signals, craft machine-readable content architectures and invest in off-site credibility will become the default references for generative engines—and the first choice of future customers. By reimagining SEO through an AI lens today, you position your business to lead tomorrow's search landscape. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Motor 1
3 hours ago
- Motor 1
‘It Works:' Woman Shares How to Find Out if Furniture Fits in Your Car—Before You Buy From Facebook Marketplace
A woman says ChatGPT is your best friend for finding out whether an online furniture find will fit in your ride. Earlier this week, Gabriella Caruso (@gabxcaruso) revealed how she incorporates artificial intelligence in her online shopping ventures. Her advice could save you the trouble of having to phone a friend with a pickup truck or rent something to haul your purchase in. Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . As of this writing, Caruso's TikTok has accrued over 70,000 views. ChatGPT + Facebook Marketplace Online retail hubs like Facebook Marketplace can offer great secondhand deals. A pro tip is to set your location to areas where a lot of remodeling is going on, such as neighborhoods in the process of gentrification. But once you find that perfect office chair, you typically have to go pick it up. Even with measurements, it can be difficult to be absolutely certain it'll fit in your vehicle. Caruso says artificial intelligence (AI), specifically ChatGPT, offers a perfect solution. She claims that the popular AI software will tell you if that Herman Miller chair will fit in your brand new Suzuki Jimny . 'My most genius ChatGPT hack that I've never heard anyone talk about is when you're buying furniture on Facebook Marketplace,' Caruso says. 'Put the dimensions of the furniture, along with your car's make and model into ChatGPT.' She says that after a quick scan of available data pertaining to both the furniture and the specific vehicle, the AI 'will tell you whether it'll fit or not.' According to her, this method has saved her a lot of legwork trying to figure out if she needs a specialized vehicle to haul secondhand items she buys online. 'It works every single time,' she says. Best Vehicles for Hauling Furniture ChatGPT may offer a helpful solution to 'will it fit' woes, but there are some basic guidelines that can give you an idea of whether something will fit without resorting to AI. Certain vehicle types and styles simply fit things better. Obviously, pickup trucks are first on the list. Large SUVs come second, followed by smaller SUVs and crossovers. Taller vehicles also typically can fit larger items than their shorter counterparts. Similarly, hatchbacks and fastbacks are likely to fit more than many sedans. And a sedan that has a backseat you can lie down to make the passenger compartment and trunk a single space will logically fit more than one without this capability. If you're still not sure, you may want to ask ChatGPT . ChatGPT and Cars Car enthusiasts and average drivers alike are increasingly turning to ChatGPT for assistance. Yahoo reports that prospective buyers can use it to find the best automotive deals in their area with the program. The outlet recommends inputting a budget, car models, and necessary features in your query. You can also ask it to scan for any timely and pertinent incentives and rebates. And you can have it scan for dealerships within the vicinity of a specific area. Trending Now 'I Bet You Didn't Know This:' Woman Discovers This Little-Known Perk to Driving A Subaru. Then Her Order Comes in the Mail 'That's Not Normal:' Woman's 2014 Honda Civic Keeps Stalling at Red Lights. Then She Asks for Help Yahoo adds that you can use the AI to compare vehicles you're interested in and to find what the standard trade-in value of your vehicle might be. It also suggests using the software to consider finance rates. In a similar vein, USA Today reports that online car sellers like Edmunds and CarGurus have ChatGPT plugins. It assists potential customers with selecting vehicles that suit their needs. A Better Way Than Showing Up and Hoping for the Best Caruso's advice to use ChatGPT to see if something will fit in your car was met with widespread praise. 'I AUDIBLY GASPED AT HOW SMART THIS IS,' one wrote. Another laughingly compared her method to the way they pick up furniture, writing, 'This is so smart!! Personally, I just show up and hope for the best.' 'This is actually life changing advice thank you,' a third said. One person offered their own advice on getting furniture delivered in a pinch. 'If it doesn't fit, order an Uber XL to deliver it to you :) I've done this a few times!' Yet another said they tried it and it works. 'Dude I love doing this and I'm not even kidding it is so accurate,' they wrote. 'My desk fit in my man's car with ONE CENTIMETER TO SPARE. IT WAS SO CLOSE TO NOT FITTING.' Motor1 has reached out to Caruso via TikTok comment for further information. We'll be sure to update this if she responds. More From Motor1 Future Toyota Vehicles Could Be Partially Designed By AI Volkswagen Is Putting ChatGPT In Its Cars Yes, The Slate Truck Can Haul Plywood Sheets Man Arrested After Trying to Tow a Car Backwards on a Highway Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Tom's Guide
3 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
Make ChatGPT the perfect work assistant with these four prompts
At work, we often have to wear a lot of hats. However, nowadays, there is an easy way to pass those hats off to someone else… or something else, at least. ChatGPT, as well as any of the other range of AI chatbots around right now, can take on that workload, acting as a digital assistant with a world of knowledge at its disposal. But it's not always clear what ChatGPT can do for you, or even the best way to get it working. These are four prompts that can get ChatGPT in gear as the perfect workplace assistant. Whether it's a document, website, or detailed research report, ChatGPT can analyse and summarize any information you need looked at. This can save you hours of time, scanning through all of the information it is presented with and condensing it down into an easy to read document. From here, you can ask further questions. This can be useful to find important statistics, pick out quotes or understand final conclusions of a report. A simple but effective prompt, similar to the one above. Give ChatGPT any kind of long document, article or piece of information and ask it to pick out the highlights. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. This will save you from having to read through vast amounts of information while you are just looking for the key bits. ChatGPT will often pick out important figures, key findings and the overall opinion of whatever you are reading. Like any ChatGPT prompt of this nature, it is worth double-checking any findings before quoting them. Scanning through market research can take up days of your time. ChatGPT can do it in minutes. Of course, you won't get quite as much detail, but it does a great job of finding the most important details. This works especially with ChatGPT's reasoning model, 4o. Try using a prompt along the lines of 'Perform market research on [insert topic]. I want information between [dates] and only information provided from reputable sources. Includes references throughout.' This will pick out key figures on your chosen topic, lifting statistics, valuations and general state of market between your chosen dates. Once ChatGPT responds, you can go back and forth asking questions to find out more information if needed. This is a prompt that can be used in a variety of different ways. Feed ChatGPT some examples of what you are working on right now and the AI model will come back with some alternatives. This can work for book titles, image concepts and just about anything you might need. You can also specify details around your prompt. For example, asking for it to take a completely different route or working them into a particular style. If you want to go the extra distance, you can also give the model extra reading, providing it with documents. Attach the documents and use the prompt 'Come up with alternatives to these ideas, read through all of the supporting content provided before doing so.'
