AI is junk food for the mind, an essay argues (opens the source in a new tab)
- The essay rejects the brain-as-computer model, drawing on neuroscientist Paul Cisek’s view of brains as feedback-control systems.
- It calls AI a ‘cognitive hot dog’: harmless now and then, harmful as a regular diet, and most damaging in education.
- It cites a study from China in which thousands of students largely stopped doing homework once they started using AI, hurting their learning.
- 900M
- avg monthly ChatGPT users, ’25
- Half+
- of them called ‘learners’
Why it matters Learning takes effort; a tool that removes the effort can remove the learning.
Other side Calculators and writing raised similar fears, though the author argues AI is different in kind. Used as a tutor rather than a shortcut, could it deepen learning?
Source:The Verge (free to read) ↗