Why read this: Most A2 students have already used AI to help with school work. This short reading lets them meet the question "is this making my brain lazy?" in language they can actually read. The four tips at the end are practical and personal, so the lesson can move straight into a discussion of their own habits.
What to notice: At A2, sentences are short and the structure is signposted. Each tip starts with First, Second, Third, Fourth, so students can use these markers to find each tip on a re-read. Only one term, critical thinking, is glossed; everything else uses everyday words like brain, weak, slow, by hand. The gym metaphor is the one image to discuss in class because it carries the article's main point.
Skills practised: Finding key facts (what does Green say, what did Benge find), recognising signposted instructions (First, Second...), and giving personal answers in short sentences. The two open questions invite students to choose one tip and to talk about their own AI habits, both of which support describing and listing at A2.
Is AI making your brain lazy?
Some scientists worry. Here are four simple ways to use AI and still keep your brain strong.
Tap any green word in the article to see its meaning.
GPS made our sense of direction worse. Search engines made our memory weaker. Now scientists worry that AI tools, like ChatGPT, could do the same to other skills. They worry about creativity, focus, and . I use AI every day for my work. Lately, new studies have made me ask: am I making my own brain lazy?
"Yes, on a high level," says Adam Green, a brain scientist at Georgetown University. "If you are not doing the thinking, your brain will get weaker at it." Other scientists are not so sure. Jared Benge, a brain doctor, looked at 57 studies of 411,000 adults. He found no clear sign of harm. Some technology may even help your memory.
Even so, smaller studies show real problems. People who use GPS forget the streets around them. People who use search engines forget what they read, because looking it up is so easy. "It is like you are at the gym, and a robot lifts the weight for you," Green says. "You get nothing."
So how can we use AI well? Here are four simple tips. First, do not just trust AI. AI can be wrong. Try to think of your own answer first. Second, slow down when you read AI. Take notes by hand. Ask the chatbot to test you with questions. The small effort helps you remember.
Third, write your own ideas first, before you ask AI. Even rough ideas are good. Then ask AI to help you make them better. Fourth, do hard things the slow way on purpose. Sit with a hard problem before you ask the robot. You can still be the boss of your own brain. Green says people make ideas that are personal and surprising. AI cannot do that. The wish to think for ourselves is one thing, it seems, that AI will not take away.
GPS made our sense of direction worse. Search engines made our memory weaker. Now scientists worry that AI tools, like ChatGPT, could do the same to other skills. They worry about creativity, focus, and . I use AI every day for my work. Lately, new studies have made me ask: am I making my own brain lazy?
"Yes, on a high level," says Adam Green, a brain scientist at Georgetown University. "If you are not doing the thinking, your brain will get weaker at it." Other scientists are not so sure. Jared Benge, a brain doctor, looked at 57 studies of 411,000 adults. He found no clear sign of harm. Some technology may even help your memory.
Even so, smaller studies show real problems. People who use GPS forget the streets around them. People who use search engines forget what they read, because looking it up is so easy. "It is like you are at the gym, and a robot lifts the weight for you," Green says. "You get nothing."
So how can we use AI well? Here are four simple tips. First, do not just trust AI. AI can be wrong. Try to think of your own answer first. Second, slow down when you read AI. Take notes by hand. Ask the chatbot to test you with questions. The small effort helps you remember.
Third, write your own ideas first, before you ask AI. Even rough ideas are good. Then ask AI to help you make them better. Fourth, do hard things the slow way on purpose. Sit with a hard problem before you ask the robot. You can still be the boss of your own brain. Green says people make ideas that are personal and surprising. AI cannot do that. The wish to think for ourselves is one thing, it seems, that AI will not take away.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
What does Adam Green say will happen if we let AI do our thinking?
- 02
Why does the writer compare using AI to a robot at the gym?
- 03
What is one tip the article gives for using AI well?
- 04
Name one of the four tips in the article. Why is it a good idea? Use simple sentences.
Suggested length: ~50 words
- 05
Do you use AI for school work? When you use it, what do you do to make sure your brain still learns? Write three or four sentences.
Suggested length: ~50 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
What does Adam Green say will happen if we let AI do our thinking?
- 02
Why does the writer compare using AI to a robot at the gym?
- 03
What is one tip the article gives for using AI well?
- 04
Name one of the four tips in the article. Why is it a good idea? Use simple sentences.
Suggested length: ~50 words
- 05
Do you use AI for school work? When you use it, what do you do to make sure your brain still learns? Write three or four sentences.
Suggested length: ~50 words