Researchers warn AI can become a crutch for creative thinking

In short: More researchers and commentators are warning that AI can help people brainstorm, but it can also weaken creative thinking if it becomes an easy default.

What's going on

People are using chatbots and other generative AI tools to get ideas faster. Generative AI means software that can produce text or images on demand (like an autocomplete that writes whole paragraphs).

A 2024 study from the University of South Carolina found that students using ChatGPT during brainstorming came up with more detailed and varied ideas than students working alone. Every participant said the AI was helpful. But some students also reported a “fixation of the mind,” meaning once they read the AI’s suggestions, they struggled to think past them.

Educators describe a similar risk as “cognitive laziness.” The concern is that students and workers may hand the hard parts of thinking to AI, especially when there are no clear rules for how to use it. The USC researchers also noted another issue, AI suggestions can be repetitive across many users, which can push groups toward safe, average ideas instead of unusual ones.

What to watch

Researchers and teachers are increasingly pointing to simple safeguards. One is to think first, then ask AI, so your own starting ideas do not get crowded out. Another is to use AI for the busywork parts, like rewording or formatting, but keep humans in charge of choosing the goal, judging ideas, and deciding what to make.

As schools and workplaces write AI guidelines, watch whether they focus on these habits, not just whether AI is allowed.

Source: NYTimes