New research will map brain activity while using AI to determine what helps and hinders.

The objective is to build new interaction approaches that enable AI to unlock our potential.

The study also hopes to provide insight into whether AI enhances human production rather than replacing it.

Against a backdrop of studies that suggest artificial intelligence (AI) is rewiring our brains, making us stupider, or easing our mental load to the detriment of critical thinking, a new study is set to evaluate whether certain contextual applications can actually make us better at thinking. That was certainly the stance of one panel at Davos a couple of years ago, where a panel on education suggested that AI could pave the way for smarter thinking if we are prepared to embrace the changes needed and to mitigate the risks in how it is applied.

New USC Study on AI and Thinking Skills

A new USC research study, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is set to look at the use of AI by doctors, journalists, and software engineers and consider whether using AI can strengthen creativity and critical thinking. This investigation follows previous studies, such as the one by Stadler et al. (2024), which highlights that AI use eases mental load but at the expense of our knowledge and depth of understanding, and a study from........

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