Tools like ChatGPT have become ubiquitous in our lives. But too frequent use could harm our ability to think. An employee OpenAI is sounding the alarm.
For several months, generative artificial intelligence has been making its mark in all areas: work, studies, personal research. Millions of people use tools like ChatGPT to get quick answers or generate realistic images with its new model. While these technologies are often seen as productivity boosters, voices are being raised to denounce their side effects. Several studies point to a potential danger: the progressive loss of cognitive abilities.
An OpenAI engineer, Will Depue, believes that this dependence could have serious consequences, particularly for struggling students. According to him, the more we rely on AI to think for us, the more our minds atrophy. He suggests a polarization effect: the best could become even more efficient thanks to these tools, while the worst risk dropping out. This divide could accentuate inequalities in access to knowledge.
Excessive use of AI could weaken thinking and widen gaps between students
Will Depue is not the only one worried. Two studies, conducted by OpenAI and the MIT Media Lab, have also shown that isolated users develop a form of emotional attachment to AI, which can reinforce their social isolation. Other reports suggest a risk of loss of trust in one's own decisions. Some people even report, on forums like Reddit, a feeling of "brain sleepiness" as a result of seeking easy answers instead of thinking for themselves. Artificial intelligence would then become a reflex, but not always beneficial.
Researchers believe that this situation could permanently change the way we learn, by reducing the mental effort required for memorization or reflection. Tools like ChatGPT can be powerful, but their effectiveness depends on how they are used. Used with perspective, they can enrich knowledge. But if they become a systematic crutch, they risk impoverishing thought. This debate is crucial to our future. the time when AI won’t make everyone smarter. OpenAI’s Will Depue says it might make some people dumber.
The top percentile becomes extremely overpowered—but many will fall behind. ChatGPT isn’t a universal boost. It’s an amplifier of extremes. pic.twitter.com/r7DhvLZ01R
— vitrupo (@vitrupo) April 7, 2025
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