Is Reliance on AI Doing to Our Brains What Sedentary Lifestyles Did to Our Bodies?
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/devi-sridhar. "We all know a lack of exercise is bad for our bodies. So what is relying on AI doing to our brains? | Devi Sridhar | The Guardian." September 25, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that just like not exercising your body leads to health problems, not exercising your brain by relying too heavily on AI could hurt our thinking abilities over time. She points to falling test scores, brain scan studies showing weaker brain activity in AI users, and the profit motives of tech companies as warning signs we shouldn't ignore.
Conclusion
Just as physical inactivity harms bodily health, growing reliance on AI is likely harming our cognitive health, and we should be wary of trusting profit-driven tech companies with the long-term wellbeing of our minds.
Premises
- It is well-established that physical inactivity (a consequence of technological and economic development) causes serious health problems like chronic disease, obesity, and reduced quality of life.
- Our brains, like our muscles, require regular active use ('use it or lose it') to remain sharp and avoid cognitive decline.
- AI use among students is now nearly universal (95% of surveyed undergraduates report using generative AI, including in assessed work).
- Educational attainment is declining globally, with OECD reporting record-low scores in math and reading, correlated with increased screen time and digitalization.
- Preliminary neuroscience evidence (the 'Your Brain on ChatGPT' EEG study) shows that students using AI to write essays exhibit weaker and less distributed brain connectivity than those writing unaided.
- A large study of over 19,000 adults found that engagement in cognitively stimulating activities is linked to lower dementia risk and better cognitive function in later life.
- Tech companies have a financial incentive to maximize AI adoption and automation, not to protect users' long-term cognitive or societal wellbeing—mirroring the earlier pattern seen with streaming services.
Assumptions
- The analogy between physical exercise and cognitive 'exercise' is valid and that reduced active thinking has effects on the brain comparable to reduced physical activity has on the body.
- The correlation between rising AI/screen-time use and declining OECD educational scores reflects a causal relationship rather than mere coincidence or confounding factors.
- Short-term EEG connectivity differences documented in a single study will translate into meaningful long-term cognitive decline.
- Tech companies' profit motives are inherently misaligned with users' cognitive and societal wellbeing.
- Patterns observed with previous technologies (e.g., streaming, sedentary lifestyles) will necessarily repeat with AI.
- Most people (especially students) are using AI in ways that reduce active cognitive engagement rather than augment it.