Study Finds AI Use Erodes Users’ Confidence in Their Own Thinking

A peer-reviewed study found that heavy reliance on AI can make people feel the chatbot is doing the thinking for them.

Participants who questioned or edited AI output reported greater ownership of their ideas and more confidence in their reasoning.

The findings suggest AI’s cognitive impact depends less on the tool itself and more on how people use it.

A separate recent paper also warned that depending on AI for mentally demanding tasks can weaken reasoning skills.