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MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline

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Re: MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline

#91

Post by IAmBroom »

Taek wrote: post #76
infecto wrote: post #46

Everyone is different. I don’t have a good grasp on the distribution of HN readers these days but I know for myself as a heavy user of LLMs, I am not sold on this for myself. I am asking more questions than ever. I use it for proof reading and editing. But I can see the risk as a software engineer. I really appreciate tools like cursor, I give it bite size chunks and review. Using tools like Claude code though. It be…

Cognitive decline is a broad term, and a research paper could claim "decline" if even a single cognitive metric loses strength. When writing was invented, societies started depending on long form memorization less, which is a cognitive "decline". When calculators were invented, societies started depending on mental math less, which is a cognitive "decline". I'm sure LLMs are doing the same thing. People aren't gettin…

Absolutely true.

Also, domesticated dogs show indications of lower intelligence and memory than wolves. They don't have to plan complex strategies to find and kill food, anymore.

Re: MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline

#92

Post by Taek »

dguest wrote: post #28
jennyholzer wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think developers who use "AI" coding assistants are putting their careers at risk.

And here I'm wondering if I'm putting my career at risk by not trying them out. Probably both are true: you should try them out and then use them where they are useful, not for everything.

HN is full of people who say LLMs aren't good at coding and don't "really" produce productivity gains.

None of my professional life reflects that whatsoever. When used well, LLMs are exceptional and putting out large amounts of code of sufficient quality. My peers have switched entire engineering departments to LLM-first development and are reporting that the whole org is moving 2x as fast even after they fired the 50% of devs who couldn't make the switch and didn't hire replacements.

If you think LLM coding is a fad, your head is in the sand.

Re: MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline

#93

Post by falcor84 »

boesboes wrote: post #59
flanked-evergl wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The future is increased productivity. If someone can outproduce you if they use AI, then they will take your job.

After working with claude code for a few months, I am not worried.

What does that mean? If you're still paying for a Claude Code, you are supposedly getting increased productivity, right? Or otherwise, why are you still using it?

Re: MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline

#94

Post by AnimalMuppet »

pjio wrote: post #17

First step out of this mess: Use AI only to proof read or get a second opinion, but not to write the whole thing.

Depends on who you are and what you want.

Let's say I'm a writer of no skill who still wants attention. I could spend years learning to write better, but I still might not get any attention.

Or I could use AI to write something today. It won't be all that interesting, because AI still can't write all that well, but it may be better than I can do on my own, and I can get attention today.

If you care about your own growth (or even not dwindling) as a human, that's a trap. But not everyone cares about that...

Re: MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline

#95

Post by patrickmay »

asimovfan wrote: post #78

Writing long texts for school is stupid and it is a skill that is in practice purely developed in order to do homework. I am not surprised it immediately declines as soon as the necessity is removed.

On the contrary, writing is key to organizing and clarifying one's thoughts. It is an essential part of learning.

"Writing is nature’s way of letting you know how sloppy your thinking is." -- Guindon

Re: MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline

#96

Post by tmcb »

flanked-evergl wrote: post #32
jennyholzer wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think developers who use "AI" coding assistants are putting their careers at risk.

The future is increased productivity. If someone can outproduce you if they use AI, then they will take your job.

This is industrial-grade FOMO. They will take the jobs of the first handful of people. The moment it is obvious that LLMs are a productivity booster, people will learn how to use it, just like it happened with any other technology before.

Re: MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline

#97

Post by Taek »

IAmBroom wrote: post #91
Taek wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cognitive decline is a broad term, and a research paper could claim "decline" if even a single cognitive metric loses strength. When writing was invented, societies started depending on long form memorization less, which is a cognitive "decline". When calculators were invented, societies started depending on mental math less, which is a cognitive "decline". I'm sure LLMs are doing the same thing. People aren't gettin…

Absolutely true. Also, domesticated dogs show indications of lower intelligence and memory than wolves. They don't have to plan complex strategies to find and kill food, anymore.

The difference between us and dogs is that we DO still need to make a salary. Dogs live in a lap of luxury where their needs are guaranteed to be handled.

But humans need jobs, and jobs need to capture value from society. So we do actually still have to stay sharp, whatever form "sharp" takes.

Re: MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline

#98

Post by tqwhite »

What a load of crap. I don't believe it for one second. Also, AI has only been an important influence for about twenty minutes.

Here's what I think: AI causes you to forget how to program but causes you to learn how to plan.

Also, AI enhances who you are. Dummies get dummer. Smarties get smarter.

But that's not proven. It's anecdote. And I don't believe anyone knows what is really happening and those that claim to are counterproductive.

Re: MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline

#99

Post by jajko »

johnisgood wrote: post #48
footy wrote: post #34

there's going to be an avalanche of dementia for the generations that outsource all their thinking to LLMs

IMO that is a misuse of LLMs. You are not supposed to outsource your thinking. You need to be part of the whole process, incl. the architectural design. I am, and I got far with LLMs (Claude mostly, not much with GPT). I use GPT for personal stuff or ramblings, not for coding. There will always be people who misuse something, but we should not hurt those who do not. Same with drugs. There are functional junkies who k…

Misuse or not, who cares about labeling.

Internet was supposed to be this wonderful free place with all information available and unbiased, not the cesspool of scams and tracking that makes 1984 look like a fairytale for children. Atomic energy was supposed to free mankind from everlasting struggle for energy dependency, end wars and whatnot. LLMs we supposed to be X and not Y and used as Z and not BBCCD.

For what population loses overall, compared to whats gained (really, what? a mild increased efficiency sometimes experienced on individual level, sometimes made up for PR), I consider these LLMs are a net loss for whole mankind.

Above should tell you something about human nature, how naive some of the brightest of us are.

Re: MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline

#100

Post by micromacrofoot »

jennyholzer wrote: post #21
mansilladev wrote: post #18

“…our cognitive abilities and creative capacities appear poised to take a nosedive into oblivion.” Don’t sugarcoat it. Tell us how you really feel.

I think developers who use "AI" coding assistants are putting their careers at risk.

everyone's also telling us that if we don't use AI we're putting our careers at risk, and that AI will eventually take our jobs

personally I think everyone should shut up

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