Counting on AI to Solve Problems Makes Us More Likely to Struggle and Give Up, Study Suggests

A new preprint study found that brief use of generative AI can leave people less confident and less persistent when the tool is taken away.

Researchers from several universities tested about 1,200 U.S. participants on fraction and reading-comprehension tasks.

Participants who used an AI assistant for 10 minutes then lost access were more likely to give up and perform worse than those who never used AI.

The results raise fresh concerns that heavy AI reliance could weaken independent problem-solving and critical thinking over time.