Why read this: Most B1 students already use chatbots for homework. This article gives them the language to talk about the trade-off, and gives them four simple habits they can try the same evening. The writer's tone is conversational and personal ("Could I be making my own brain lazy?"), which helps B1 readers stay engaged through what is, underneath, a piece of science journalism with several expert sources.
What to notice: At B1, the main reading challenges are the four named experts (Green, Benge, Oakley, the Penn researchers) and four research terms (cognitive friction, digital dementia, cognitive surrender, critical thinking). Use the GlossTerm chips for the four glossed terms. Encourage students to underline who is saying what, so the disagreement between Green and Benge is visible. The gym metaphor is the heart of the article and works well as a quick comprehension check.
Skills practised: Following an argument with multiple speakers, recognising when a claim is hedged (could, may), and identifying tips that follow from the evidence. The two open questions ask students to explain a metaphor in their own words and to choose one tip and justify it, both of which build the habit of using textual evidence to support a personal opinion.
Could AI make your brain lazy?
Some scientists worry that asking AI to do our thinking is hurting our brains. Here are simple ways to stay sharp.
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 skills like creativity, focus, and . A few years ago, I started using AI every day, because I write about it. Recently, new studies have made me worried. Could I be making my own brain lazy?
"On a high level, yes," says Adam Green, a brain scientist at Georgetown University. "If you are not doing the thinking, your ability to do that thinking will get weaker." Other researchers worry that students who use AI too much lose the that keeps the mind sharp. The science is brand new, so we do not have all the answers yet.
Not everyone agrees there is a real danger. Twenty years ago, some scientists said heavy technology use might cause something called . Jared Benge, a brain doctor at Dell Medical School, recently looked at 57 studies covering more than 411,000 adults. He found no clear evidence for it. In fact, technology use may even lower the risk of memory problems.
Even so, smaller studies show some real effects. People who use GPS stop building maps in their head and remember less about where they have been. People also remember less of what they read online, because looking it up is so easy. AI may be the most powerful version of this kind of tool yet. "It is like you are at the gym and a robot lifts the barbell for you," Green says. "You get nothing."
Don't trust AI without thinking. Heavy AI users often score worse on critical thinking tests, because they let the robot do the work. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania call this : trusting AI more than your own thinking, even when AI is wrong. The risk is biggest when you do not know much about the subject. So before you open a chatbot, try to form your own simple answer first. Then ask AI to challenge it.
Add some difficulty to your research. "If something is in front of you and you can see it, you often think it is in your memory when it is not," says Barbara Oakley, a teacher at the University of Oakland. So slow down. Take notes by hand. Ask the chatbot to quiz you. The small effort helps you remember.
Leave the blank page blank a little longer. AI is good at coming up with ideas, but research suggests its ideas can be more predictable and less original. Your own brain makes connections by reaching across your memories and experiences. So write your rough notes first, before opening a chatbot. Then use AI to develop, refine, or test what you have already written.
Pay attention. Technology, including AI, can make focus harder. Do things the slow way on purpose. Sit with a hard problem for a few minutes before asking a robot for help. You can still keep your brain in control. Green says human brains make connections that are personal, surprising, and truly new, in ways that AI simply cannot copy. The wish to think and create for ourselves, it seems, is harder than ever to give 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 skills like creativity, focus, and . A few years ago, I started using AI every day, because I write about it. Recently, new studies have made me worried. Could I be making my own brain lazy?
"On a high level, yes," says Adam Green, a brain scientist at Georgetown University. "If you are not doing the thinking, your ability to do that thinking will get weaker." Other researchers worry that students who use AI too much lose the that keeps the mind sharp. The science is brand new, so we do not have all the answers yet.
Not everyone agrees there is a real danger. Twenty years ago, some scientists said heavy technology use might cause something called . Jared Benge, a brain doctor at Dell Medical School, recently looked at 57 studies covering more than 411,000 adults. He found no clear evidence for it. In fact, technology use may even lower the risk of memory problems.
Even so, smaller studies show some real effects. People who use GPS stop building maps in their head and remember less about where they have been. People also remember less of what they read online, because looking it up is so easy. AI may be the most powerful version of this kind of tool yet. "It is like you are at the gym and a robot lifts the barbell for you," Green says. "You get nothing."
Don't trust AI without thinking. Heavy AI users often score worse on critical thinking tests, because they let the robot do the work. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania call this : trusting AI more than your own thinking, even when AI is wrong. The risk is biggest when you do not know much about the subject. So before you open a chatbot, try to form your own simple answer first. Then ask AI to challenge it.
Add some difficulty to your research. "If something is in front of you and you can see it, you often think it is in your memory when it is not," says Barbara Oakley, a teacher at the University of Oakland. So slow down. Take notes by hand. Ask the chatbot to quiz you. The small effort helps you remember.
Leave the blank page blank a little longer. AI is good at coming up with ideas, but research suggests its ideas can be more predictable and less original. Your own brain makes connections by reaching across your memories and experiences. So write your rough notes first, before opening a chatbot. Then use AI to develop, refine, or test what you have already written.
Pay attention. Technology, including AI, can make focus harder. Do things the slow way on purpose. Sit with a hard problem for a few minutes before asking a robot for help. You can still keep your brain in control. Green says human brains make connections that are personal, surprising, and truly new, in ways that AI simply cannot copy. The wish to think and create for ourselves, it seems, is harder than ever to give away.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
What does Adam Green warn could happen if we let AI do our thinking?
- 02
What did Jared Benge's research on 411,000 adults find?
- 03
What does the article tell readers to do before opening a chatbot?
- 04
Why do you think the writer compares using AI to having a robot lift a barbell at the gym? Explain in your own words.
Suggested length: ~70 words
- 05
Choose one tip from the article (for example, taking notes by hand or writing your own rough ideas first). Explain why it could help students learn better.
Suggested length: ~70 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
What does Adam Green warn could happen if we let AI do our thinking?
- 02
What did Jared Benge's research on 411,000 adults find?
- 03
What does the article tell readers to do before opening a chatbot?
- 04
Why do you think the writer compares using AI to having a robot lift a barbell at the gym? Explain in your own words.
Suggested length: ~70 words
- 05
Choose one tip from the article (for example, taking notes by hand or writing your own rough ideas first). Explain why it could help students learn better.
Suggested length: ~70 words