MIT professor Eric So warns of AI cognitive atrophy
Eric So, a Sloan Distinguished Professor at MIT Sloan School of Management, released his book The Collision: What AI Does to Us this month. In a Q&A with MIT News, he argues that while AI can speed up work, heavy reliance can cause cognitive atrophy, eroding essential thinking skills. He cites research, including an Anthropic study showing that about half of college students’ AI queries were…
Key points
- Eric So's book argues AI use can cause cognitive atrophy.
- Anthropic study shows about half of college student queries were low‑effort.
- AI gravity pulls users to AI due to mental energy conservation and social pressure.
So explains that people are drawn to AI by a mix of biological instinct to conserve mental energy and social pressure, a phenomenon he calls “AI gravity.” He warns that organizations now use AI performance as a basis for evaluation, creating a self‑fulfilling cycle of dependence. He stresses the importance of “productive struggle” and suggests four principles: embrace struggle, value work without AI, reinvest time saved by AI, and use AI as a tutor rather than an answer machine.
The book calls for a shift in how we view learning and work, urging individuals and institutions to balance AI’s convenience with the need to maintain cognitive effort.
The story so far
2 episodes →- MIT professor Eric So warns of AI cognitive atrophythis story
Q&A: The “collision” between AI, your brain, and society
MIT News on AI · 15 October 2026
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This text was published by MIT News on AI and written by Peter Dizikes | MIT News. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
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