The AI Zombie Effect: How AI is Dumbing us Down (and Disconnecting us)
I love AI. I use it every day in one way or another. It’s a game changer for accessing research and thinking from all around the world – and you know how much I love to geek out….
I also think, if we’re not conscious about how we use it, we could let AI turn us into cognitive zombies..
The Brain Scans Don’t Lie
A recent study by MIT had university students write different essays over a period of months – one group used Chat GPT, one used Google and one had no tools, just their brains.
Using EEG brain scans, the study found a whopping 47% collapse in activity and brain connections when the students wrote with ChatGPT and the weakest overall brain activity in this group. The group who didn’t use anything had the most ‘lit up’ brains – the widest neural networks – with the Google search group second.
Interestingly, the ChatGPT group were unable to reliably quote their own essays just minutes later, and their memory scores plummeted. They felt little or no ownership over the text that they’d written – and in fact, didn’t feel like it was their work at all.
All of this is scary enough, but when the ChatGPT group were asked to write without Chat GPT in the final session, their brain stayed in low gear – the ‘cognitive debt’ lingering – even after the tool wasn’t used.
It’s important to note that these findings are emerging and the study hasn’t been peer reviewed for full validity – but the researchers wanted to get the findings out as soon as possible to help people make informed decisions about how they’re using AI.
If we let AI do all of our thinking for us – don’t we just because zombies?
It begs a lot of questions about not just our critical thinking, but our creativity and even the long-term impact on the health of our brains….
Another thing that struck me was that the Chat GPT group all produced very similar essays – essays that lacked original thought and used the same expressions and ideas. The article goes on to say; “Two English teachers who assessed the essays called them largely “soulless.” The EEGs revealed low executive control and attentional engagement. And by their third essay, many of the writers simply gave the prompt to ChatGPT and had it do almost all of the work.’
Some of the statistics that simultaneously shocked me – and also, sadly, didn’t really surprise me were…
83% of AI users couldn’t remember what they had just written
Brain connectivity was almost halved during AI-assisted tasks
Cognitive load fell by 32% even though output increased by 60%
When asked to work without AI later, these users produced “biased and superficial” content
So, its not just thinking less, its building bias and a lack of depth into our thinking – and our work. And we’re so disconnected from what we’re doing that we cant remember doing it – if that’s not a definition of a zombie in the making, I don’t know what is…
The “Cognitive Debt” Crisis: Use It or Lose It
What researchers are calling “cognitive debt” could be accumulating faster than we realise. Just like financial debt, cognitive debt could compound – so what do we do when the bill comes and we have to actually think?
I’m all for making life easier, but the more we rely on something else to think FOR us, the less we’re likely to think for ourselves.
Our brains are remarkably plastic, rewiring based on what we practice or do more of When we consistently offload mental tasks to AI, we’re literally training our neural networks to atrophy.
The Three-Stage Descent into Cognitive Dependency:
Stage 1: Cognitive Offloading
We delegate complex tasks to AI for “efficiency”
Brain regions responsible for critical thinking get less exercise
Neural pathways begin to weaken
Stage 2: Skill Decay
Analytical thinking, memory retention, and problem-solving abilities diminish
We could become unable to recognise our own decline (a phenomenon researchers call “automation bias”)
Dependence on AI increases to compensate for lost capabilities
Stage 3: Cognitive Atrophy
Essential cognitive skills deteriorate permanently
Independent thinking becomes genuinely difficult
The Zombie Workforce: What This Means for Organisations
If current trends continue, we’re creating a workforce of cognitive zombies – people who:
Can’t think critically without AI assistance
Have diminished memory and analytical capabilities
Lack the cognitive resilience needed for complex problem-solving
And, if we add in our plummeting people skills – a whole business of people who struggle with genuine human connection and collaboration.
So, where do we go from here?
The research points to clear strategies:
1. Designed Cognitive Challenge Ensure AI enhances rather than replaces our thinking. Build in “desirable difficulties” that require genuine cognitive effort.
2. Human-AI Collaboration, Not Replacement Train people to work WITH AI as a thought partner, not as a cognitive crutch. Develop judgment about when to trust AI output and when to override it.
3. Connection Infrastructure For every dollar spent on AI, invest equivalent resources in strengthening human relationships, trust-building, and cultural connection.
4. Measure Human Flourishing Track not just productivity metrics, but human engagement, learning, career advancement, and wellbeing. What gets measured gets optimised.
The brain scans don’t lie: AI is changing how we think, learn, and connect. The question isn’t whether this transformation will happen – it’s already happening. It’s up to us to stop the slide, take charge of the way we engage with tech ….and as I always say: “Be the Boss of our Brains” and keep them, and ourselves, brilliant, lit up and alive…
If you want to know more….
Theres a link to the article below – and if you want to dive a little deeper – I loved this episode of Steven Bartlett’s Diary of A CEO…
For those of you Wanting to Dive Even Deeper…
Primary Brain Scan Studies:
MIT Media Lab (2024). “Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task.” MIT Media Lab. Available at: https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/
Kingy AI (2025, June 19). “Your Brain on ChatGPT: The Accumulation of Cognitive Debt in AI-Assisted Learning (Summary).” Analysis of MIT EEG study findings. Available at: https://kingy.ai/blog/your-brain-on-chatgpt-the-accumulation-of-cognitive-debt-in-ai-assisted-learning-summary/
Euronews (2025, June 21). “Using AI bots like ChatGPT could be causing cognitive decline, new study shows.” Available at: https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/06/21/using-ai-bots-like-chatgptcould-be-causing-cognitive-decline-new-study-shows
Cognitive Atrophy and AI Dependency Research:
Dergaa, I., et al. (2024). “From tools to threats: a reflection on the impact of artificial-intelligence chatbots on cognitive health.” Frontiers in Psychology, 15. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11020077/
Gerlich (2025). “AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking.” MDPI, 15(1), 6. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/6
Dillu, D. (2025, March 27). “How Over-Reliance on AI Could Lead to Cognitive Atrophy.” The NeuraNest, Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/neuranest/how-over-reliance-on-ai-could-lead-to-cognitive-atrophy-d04d214c7e75
Kyndryl Institute (2024). “Smart AI, sharper minds: Designing to avoid cognitive atrophy.” Available at: https://www.kyndryl.com/us/en/institute/smart-ai
Polytechnique Insights (2025, July 4). “Generative AI: the risk of cognitive atrophy.” Available at: https://www.polytechnique-insights.com/en/columns/neuroscience/generative-ai-the-risk-of-cognitive-atrophy/
Skill Decay and Learning Research:
Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications (2024, July 12). “Does using artificial intelligence assistance accelerate skill decay and hinder skill development without performers’ awareness?” Available at: https://cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-024-00572-8
Smart Learning Environments (2024, June 18). “The effects of over-reliance on AI dialogue systems on students’ cognitive abilities: a systematic review.” Available at: https://slejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40561-024-00316-7
IE University (2024). “AI’s cognitive implications: the decline of our thinking skills?” Available at: https://www.ie.edu/center-for-health-and-well-being/blog/ais-cognitive-implications-the-decline-of-our-thinking-skills/
Additional Supporting Studies:
Fitts, P. M., & Posner, M. I. (1967). “Human Performance.” Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Logan, G. D. (1988). “Toward an instance theory of automatization.” Psychological Review, 95(4), 492-527.
Sweller, J. (2011). “Cognitive load theory.” Psychology of Learning and Motivation, 55, 37-76.
Clark, A., & Chalmers, D. (1998). “The extended mind.” Analysis, 58(1), 7-19.
