The Harmful Effects of AI on Cognitive Development

By Clement Karikari

B.S. Biology (Pre-Med) | Class of 2029 | The Ohio State University

ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, was released in November of 2022 (Chin, 2026). As of August 3rd, 2026, there are 901 million total users (Chin, 2026). This number represents a little over 10 percent of the entire world’s population. There are many good uses for AI platforms like ChatGPT, and it is used by both big companies and the average person. Students and those looking to know more use it to learn new things and expand on their knowledge.

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Big companies like BMW have collaborated with Monkeyway, a company that specializes in real-time 3D streaming, to make SORDI.ai (Hall, 2024). They use it to optimize the planning process and supply chains (Hall, 2024). Though there are many good uses of AI, some people, specifically students, use it in ways in which they may think are beneficial in the short term, but are actually harmful in the long-run. An example of this is when students ask an AI chatbot to solve their homework problems for them if the student does not understand how to do the problem or does not want to solve the problem. This is referred to as cognitive offloading: “the utilization of external aids to achieve cognitive tasks” (Jose et al., 2025). They get a false hope because, in the short-term, they are able to get the good grades that they desire and complete the work quickly.

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However, getting good grades does not always mean that the brain actually gets stronger or the person gets smarter. This is where a major issue in using AI in school arises. Students rely too much on AI to complete the work for them, and because they get good grades, they continue to use it. In the long-term the mental strength of these students either increases, or since they are not using any mental strength at all, decreases. Other students use AI as their main form of instruction rather than pedagogy. In a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, it was found that students who used AI as their main form of instruction got 48% more problems correct, but their understanding of the concept was 17% lower (Jose et al., 2025). This supports the idea of how AI can be good in the short-term but are actually harming themselves in the long-run. The students are getting the grades that they desire but have a lower conceptual understanding on the topic of which they are being tested on.

In conclusion, we can see how the use of AI excessively through cognitive offloading and using it as a substitute for traditional instruction can lead to long-term harm. They give short-term benefits as one is able to complete tasks faster and get better results (good grades), but the brain is not being challenged in the same way, and this can lead to a reduction in mental strength and lower overall conceptual understanding of topics.

Sources

•  Chin, M., “ChatGPT Hits a Billion Monthly App Users Despite Souring Public AI Sentiment,” CNBC, June 12, 2026. CNBC article

• Hall, B., “101 Real-World Gen AI Use Cases From the World’s Leading Organizations,” Google Cloud Blog, 2024. Google Cloud article

• Jose, B., Cherian, J., Verghis, A. M., Varghise, S. M., S, M., & Joseph, S., “The Cognitive Paradox of AI in Education: Between Enhancement and Erosion,” Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 16, 2025. Frontiers in Psychology article