Study Warns AI Assistance Reduces Persistence and Hurts Independent Performance

A new study involving researchers from the US and UK examines the cognitive impact of AI assistance on reasoning-intensive tasks like writing, coding, and brainstorming. The research, titled "AI assistance reduces persistence and hurts independent performance," found that while AI initially improves performance, it leads to dependency, reduced persistence, and worse outcomes once removed. In experiments with 350 Americans solving fraction-based equations, half used a GPT-5-based chatbot, which was cut off midway. This caused a steep decline in correct answers and increased giving up, replicated in a larger study with 670 participants and reading comprehension tasks. Rachit Dubey, a coauthor and assistant professor at the University of California, noted that people become unwilling to try without AI, warning that rapid AI deployment in education could dilute human innovation and creativity. The study compares sustained AI use to the "boiling frog" effect, where erosion of motivation becomes difficult to reverse. Caveats include the study not being peer-reviewed and a finding that using AI for hints rather than answers eases transition. Broader context includes prior research on "AI brain fry" among workers and negative effects on students' test performance and development.