Overview

• The June 2025 MIT EEG study “Your Brain on ChatGPT” showed heavy ChatGPT users had up to 55% lower brain engagement than peers using Google Search or no digital tools.
• Participants relying on ChatGPT struggled to recall their own writing and reported a fragmented sense of authorship, highlighting cognitive offloading effects.
• A Harvard University study by Ying Xu found that AI can enhance learning when used to complement pre-existing human thinking rather than replace it.
• With the world’s largest ChatGPT user base among 16- to 30-year-olds, India’s education sector and training firms like NIIT are advocating for responsible-use protocols.
• Experts urge ‘think first, AI second’ workflows, stronger ethics training and comprehensive AI literacy programs to ensure tools augment human cognition.