Relying on generative AI may result in decline in cognitive abilities, states new paper

A Microsoft Research paper finds that people who increasingly rely on generative AI (GAI) in their work use less critical thinking that can deteriorate their cognitive abilities, reports Performance Marketing Insider.

Microsoft researchers recruited 319 knowledge workers for the study, who self-reported 936 firsthand examples of using GAI in their job. They were asked to complete a survey about how they use GAI, including tools and prompts, how confident they are in the generative AI tools’ ability to do the specific work task, how confident they are in evaluating the AI’s output, and how confident they are in their abilities in completing the same work task without the AI tool.

Performance Marketing Insider added that insights reveal new design challenges and opportunities for developing GAI tools. The study did not mention advertising, but all apply.

For tasks such as knowledge retrieval, AI reduces effort by automating information gathering, but workers must still invest more to verify accuracy of AI outputs. AI simplifies content creation, but workers still need to spend time aligning outputs with specific needs and quality standards.

More here.