How Gen AI like ChatGPT enhances critical thinking, instead of making people lazy
Preliminary findings from a recent MIT study in June in the US, concluded that people using just generative AI (Gen AI) tools such as ChatGPT, became lazier with each subsequent essay they wrote.
The study, conducted in Boston, categorised three groups of test subjects aged 18 to 39 according to the tools that they used: ChatGPT, Google or no tools.
The brain activity of these writers were scanned across 32 regions of their brain. The result found that ChatGPT users had the lowest brain activity, and 'consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioural levels,' according to the study.
But the way ChatGPT is used was critical, as the study found that test subjects who used ChatGPT only after writing the essays on their own, had significant increases in brain connectivity.
Just how can ChatGPT be used to enhance productivity without making us lazy? In this episode, ST assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong unpacks the issues and looks at how her human guests maintain the balance between optimising the use of ChatGPT and becoming over-reliant on it.
Her guests are Shahrman Nayan, creative director of OneDash22, a local video production company and an avid user of Gen AI for his work; and Cheryl Chia, founder of BrainFit, an education centre for children and young adults, building their cognitive, thinking, and study skills through programmes grounded in scientific approaches.
We even invite ChatGPT to be a 'guest' in this podcast discussion.
Highlights (click/tap above):
6:00 How can youths use ChatGPT without becoming lazy
15:21 Cognitive functions like memory and concentration have been going down: Cheryl
29:04 How young people can use Gen AI to improve critical thinking
33:42 How school curriculum can change to enhance critical thinking skills using ChatGPT
37:03 How Shahrman uses Gen AI like ChatGPT to get his colleagues to produce creative work
Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim, Rebekah Chia and Natasha Liew
Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong
Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb
Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
---
Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
---
Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
---
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction
Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
18 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Stocks Hit Record High; Bessent: Rates Should Be 1.5-1.75% Lower
Scott Bessent feeds the rally, as Treasuries gain and US stocks close at another record high. The Treasury Secretary tells Bloomberg interest rates should be up to 175 basis points lower. Donald Trump warns of "very severe consequences" if Russia's Vladimir Putin doesn't agree to a ceasefire at tomorrow's summit. And Bloomberg learns Apple is planning to introduce an ambitious slate of new AI devices... including robots, a lifelike Siri and home-security cameras. (Source: Bloomberg)
Business Wire
an hour ago
- Business Wire
AVF and ErgoAV Merge to Expand Innovative AV Accessories and Mounting Solutions
SHROPSHIRE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Renowned British pioneer of AV mounting solutions AVF and fast-growing AV accessories and ergonomics brand ErgoAV today announced their merger, marking a momentous milestone and paving the way for continued growth and innovation for both companies. Consumers in global markets now benefit from an even broader choice of AV solutions and accessories, as both brands will bring in each other's products to their primary markets. AVF is an established industry leader in TV wall mounts, TV stands, and a wide range of AV furniture. Founded in 1977, the company has since become one of the largest AV mount and furniture brands in the UK. 'AVF is excited to join forces with ErgoAV, which will significantly expand our portfolio for both retail and commercial channels,' said Simon West, Managing Director of AVF. US-based ErgoAV has been building a name for itself since late 2022 with its innovative and ergonomically designed TV mounts, AV furniture, and smart office solutions—all by a team of known industry veterans with multi-decades of experience. ErgoAV is the US subsidiary of parent company Bestqi, one of the world's largest TV mount manufacturers, selling over five million units annually. The company had acquired AVF in June 2025, with the goal to enhance both brands' AV and office product offerings through combined expertise and leveraging Bestqi's R&D and manufacturing capabilities. 'The AVF, ErgoAV and Bestqi teams have collectively sold over 100 million TV mounts worldwide,' Henry Lyu, CEO of ErgoAV and Bestqi, shared. 'By merging ergonomics, smart home solutions, and thoughtful design, we aim to enhance every space with comfort, style, and next-generation innovation.' AVF and ErgoAV will retain their distinct brand identities while introducing each other's AV solutions, accessories, and furniture to the global market. This strategic synergy expands consumer choices, delivering creative and versatile options for modern homes and smart work spaces. About ErgoAV Led by a respected team of industry veterans, ErgoAV offers an innovative, ergonomic take on TV mounts, AV solutions, and accompanying accessories and furniture by seamlessly uniting form and function. Designed to enhance viewing and working experiences in any setup, whether home or office, ErgoAV's products optimize any space and provide endless possibilities with layout and viewing flexibility. For more information, please visit About AVF Founded in 1977, AVF has grown to become a leading AV mount brand in the UK and one of the world's leading suppliers of TV wall mounts and stylish TV stands. The company is known for its products' strength, durability, ease of installation, and design—all of which are continuously improved on and upgraded to align with market trends and user needs. For more information, please visit
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Meet your new office bestie: ChatGPT
Deborah has fast become one of Nicole Ramirez's favorite colleagues. She's quick to deliver compliments, sharp-witted, and hyper-efficient. Perhaps best of all, there's no internal competition with Deborah at the health marketing agency they work for, because she isn't on the payroll. She isn't even human. Ramirez, a 34-year-old who lives in the Pittsburgh area, says she randomly chose the name Deborah as a way to refer to the generative AI app ChatGPT, which she began using about a year ago to help her with basic tasks like drafting emails. As time went on, she asked Deborah to do more complex work, such as market research and analysis, and found herself typing "thank you" after the results came back. Eventually the relationship got to the point where the app became akin to a coworker who's always willing to give feedback — or listen to her gripes about real-life clients and colleagues. And so the bot became a bud. "Those are things that you would usually turn to your work bestie over lunch about when you can go to ChatGPT — or Deborah, in my case," says Ramirez. People are treating AI chatbots as more than just 24/7 therapists and loyal companions. With the tools becoming ubiquitous in the workplace, some are regarding them as model colleagues, too. Unlike teammates with a pulse, chatbots are never snotty, grumpy, or off the clock. They don't eat leftover salmon at their desks or give you the stink eye. They don't go on a tangent about their kids or talk politics when you ask to schedule a meeting. And they won't be insulted if you reject their suggestions. For many, tapping AI chatbots in lieu of their human colleagues has deep appeal. Consider that nearly one-third of US workers would rather clean a toilet than ask a colleague for help, according to a recent survey from the Center for Generational Kinetics, a thought-leadership firm, and commissioned by workplace-leadership strategist Henna Pryor. Experts warn, though, that too much bot bonding could dull social and critical-thinking skills, hurting careers and company performance. In the past two years, the portion of US employees who say they have used Gen AI in their role a few times a year or more nearly doubled to 40% from 21%, according to a Gallup report released in June. Part of what accounts for that rapid ascendance is how much Gen AI reflects our humanity, as Stanford University lecturer Martin Gonzalez concluded in a 2024 research paper. "Instead of a science-fiction-like ball of pulsing light, we encounter human quirks: poems recited in a pirate's voice, the cringeworthy humor of dad jokes," wrote Gonzalez, who's now an executive at Google's AI research lab DeepMind. One sign that people see AI agents as lifelike is in how they politely communicate with the tools by using phrases like "please" or "thank you," says Connie Noonan Hadley, an organizational psychologist and professor at Boston University's Questrom School of Business. "So far, people are keeping up with basic social niceties," she says. "AI tends to give you compliments, too, so there are some social skills still being maintained." Human colleagues, on the other hand, aren't always as well-mannered. Monica Park, a graphic designer for a jeweler in New York, used to dread showing early mock-ups of her work to colleagues. She recalls the heartache she felt after a coworker at a previous employer angrily responded to a draft of a design she'd drawn with an F-bomb. "You never know if it's a good time to ask for feedback," Park, 32, tells me. "So much of it has to do with the mood of the person looking at it." Last year she became a regular ChatGPT user and says that while the app will also dish out criticism, it's only the constructive kind. "It's not saying it in a malicious or judgmental way," Park says. "ChatGPT doesn't have any skin in the game." Aaron Ansari, an information-security consultant, counts Anthropic's AI chatbot Claude among his top peers. The 46-year-old Orlando-area resident likes that he can ask it to revise a document as many times as he wants without being expected to give anything in return. By contrast, a colleague at a previous job would pressure him to buy Girl Scout cookies from her kids whenever he stopped by her desk. "It became her reputation," Ansari says. "You can't go to 'Susie' without money." Now a managing partner at a different consulting firm, he finds himself opening Claude before pinging colleagues for support. This way, he can avoid ruffling any feathers, like when he once attempted to reach a colleague in a different time zone at what turned out to be an inconvenient hour. "You call and catch them in the kitchen," says Ansari. "I have interrupted their lunch unintentionally, but they certainly let me know." AI's appeal can be so strong that workers are at risk of developing unhealthy attachments to chatbots, research shows. " Your Brain on ChatGPT," a study published in June from researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found that the convenience that AI agents provide can weaken people's critical-thinking skills and foster procrastination and laziness. "Like junk food, it's efficient when you need it, but too much over time can give you relational diabetes," says Laura Greve, a clinical health psychologist in Boston. "You're starved of the nutrients you need, the real human connection." And if workers at large overindulge in AI, we could all end up becoming "emotionally unintelligent oafs," she warns. "We're accidentally training an entire generation to be workplace hermits." In turn, Hadley adds, businesses that rely on collaboration could suffer. "The more workers turn to AI instead of other people, the greater the chance the social fabric that weaves us together will weaken," she says. Karen Loftis, a senior product manager in a Milwaukee suburb, recently left a job at a large tech company that's gone all-in on AI. She said before ChatGPT showed up, sales reps would call her daily for guidance on how to plug the company's latest products. That's when they'd learn about her passion for seeing musicians like Peter Frampton in concert. But when she saw the singer-songwriter perform earlier this year, it was "like a non-event," she said, because those calls almost entirely stopped coming in. "With AI, it's all work and no relationships," she said. Workers who lean heavily on AI may also be judged differently by their peers than their bosses. Colleagues are more inclined to see them as dependent on the technology, less creative, and lacking growth potential, says David De Cremer, a behavioral scientist and Dunton Family Dean of Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business. "It's objectification by association," he says. Company leaders, however, are more likely to view workers who demonstrate AI chops as assets. Big-company CEOs such as Amazon's Andy Jassy and Shopify's Tobi Lütke have credited the technology for boosting productivity and cost savings. Workers who spoke with BI about using chatbots — including those who work remotely — say they still interact with their human peers, but less often as they did before AI agents came along. Lucas Figueiredo, who lives near Atlanta and works at a revenue management specialist for an airline, says he previously struggled to tell whether the AirPods a former colleague constantly wore were playing music whenever he wanted to ask this person a coding question. "You don't want to spook someone or disrupt their workflow," the 27-year-old tells me, though he admits he has done just that. These days, if Figueiredo gets stuck, he will first go to Microsoft's Copilot before approaching a colleague for an assist. The new strategy has been paying off.
