AI and memory: Neurosurgeon explains what happens to your brain when you stop recalling and reasoning

AI is taking over everyday mental tasks. In a communication to News9 Digital, Dr Nigel Peter Symss explains what this means for memory and learning. Read on for details.

New Delhi: Chatbots now summarise long documents, answer homework questions and draft emails in seconds, and many people have started handing small mental tasks over to them without a second thought. Doctors say this raises a fair concern about what happens to memory and thinking when the brain is asked to do less.

In a communication to News9 Digital, Dr Nigel Peter Symss, Senior Consultant Neuro Surgery at Gleneagles Chennai, explains how the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex work together during learning, what current research can and cannot tell us about AI use, and why regular practice matters most for children and young adults. His view is measured: there is no proof yet that AI causes lasting damage, but skills that are not practised can become weaker.

Doctor on AI and memory

Dr Nigel Peter Symss said, “The human brain adapts through learning and experience. Neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change and strengthen connections between nerve cells, plays an important role in learning and memory. The hippocampus, a region deep within the brain, helps us form new memories.”

He added, “Activities such as recalling information, solving problems and thinking independently help us learn and remember things better.”

On the growing use of AI, he said, “With AI increasingly performing tasks such as summarising information, generating answers and solving........

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