What Was the Study About?The MIT team asked
500+ participants to complete reasoning tasks, such as explaining decisions or solving hypothetical scenarios,
with and without ChatGPT assistance.
Some participants wrote and revised their answers manually, while others were allowed to use ChatGPT to generate, edit, or directly copy responses.
Does ChatGPT Improve or Hurt Critical Thinking?Here’s what the researchers found:
✅ Participants using ChatGPT produced
longer and more structured responses, often with clearer arguments.
✅ However,
answer diversity and originality decreased, especially when people simply copied ChatGPT’s responses without much reflection.
✅ Those who used ChatGPT but
revised and analyzed its output maintained higher levels of critical thinking.
In other words, ChatGPT can help you express ideas better, but it might reduce deeper thinking if you rely on it passively.
Potential Risks of Overusing AI
The researchers warned that
heavy reliance on ChatGPT may reduce active cognitive engagement, especially in repetitive tasks.
When we consistently outsource our reasoning to AI without questioning or analyzing it, we risk
weakening critical and creative thinking over time.