It Only Takes 10 Minutes Of Using AI For Your Brain To Start Turning Into Mush, Scientists Warn
PerfectWave | Shutterstock Using AI has become an everyday necessity for many people. From using it to create grocery lists and recipe ideas to creating fake photos to post on Instagram, many people depend on artificial intelligence as a part of their lives.
However, cognitive scientists warn that using AI for just 10 minutes can cause serious damage to your brain. A study conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Oxford, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Los Angeles, found that, through a group of participants who had access to AI, it really doesn't take much time for cognitive decline to set in, thanks to apps like ChatGPT and Claude.
It only takes 10 minutes of using AI for your brain to start turning into mush.
Researchers challenged participants to complete a set of fraction-based math problems. Half the group was asked to solve the problems on their own, while the other half was given access to an AI model. While the ones that solved the problems using AI ended up scoring higher than the ones who didn't, once the AI was removed, their scores plummeted.
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The AI-assisted group had a solve rate approximately 20% lower than the control group. On top of that, the AI-assisted group had a much higher rate of skipping questions once their access to AI was removed.
The participants had access to AI for only 10 minutes, suggesting that even that limited use stunted their ability to problem-solve on their own.
This study was consistent with previous research about the damage AI can do to the brain.
A study from MIT that measured brain activity during essay writing found that writers working on their own had significantly higher brain connectivity than writers using AI.
Other studies of workers in fields such as medicine found that those who relied on AI to complete tasks were less able to do so without AI assistance.
In their conclusion, the study’s authors wrote that their results "raise urgent questions about the cumulative effects of daily AI use on human persistence and reasoning." They continued, "We caution that if such effects accumulate with sustained AI use, current AI systems — optimized only for short-term helpfulness — risk eroding the very human capabilities they are meant to support."
Most adults use AI frequently.
A 2025 YouGov survey found that 56% of American adults used AI tools, and 28% used them at least once per week. These rates were even higher among adults under 30, with general use at 76% and weekly use at 50%. Nothing good comes from depending on AI, considering its whole purpose is to do the thinking for you.
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A lot of students often use AI, but depending on software to do the work for you only inhibits learning. You might be completing tasks faster, but allowing something else to think for you will only end up doing you a disservice in the long run.
That's why it's time to get back to actually nurturing our creativity rather than letting it be ruined due to our reliance on technology. There's a balance, and we all need to start prioritizing that balance instead of relying on AI for everything.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
