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submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by cypherpunks@lemmy.ml to c/technology@lemmy.world

Note: this lemmy post was originally titled MIT Study Finds AI Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline and linked to this article, which I cross-posted from this post in !fuck_ai@lemmy.world.

Someone pointed out that the "Science, Public Health Policy and the Law" website which published this click-bait summary of the MIT study is not a reputable publication deserving of traffic, so, 16 hours after posting it I am editing this post (as well as the two other cross-posts I made of it) to link to MIT's page about the study instead.

The actual paper is here and was previously posted on !fuck_ai@lemmy.world and other lemmy communities here.

Note that the study with its original title got far less upvotes than the click-bait summary did 🤡

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[-] Wojwo@lemmy.ml 124 points 1 month ago

Does this also explain what happens with middle and upper management? As people have moved up the ranks during the course of their careers, I swear they get dumber.

[-] ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml 70 points 1 month ago

That was my first reaction. Using LLMs is a lot like being a manager. You have to describe goals/tasks and delegate them, while usually not doing any of the tasks yourself.

[-] sheogorath@lemmy.world 17 points 1 month ago

Fuck, this is why I'm feeling dumber myself after getting promoted to more senior positions and had only had to work in architectural level and on stuff that the more junior staffs can't work on.

With LLMs basically my job is still the same.

[-] rebelsimile@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

After being out of being a direct practitioner, I will say all my direct reports are “faster” in programs we use at work than I am, but I’m still waaaaaaaaaay more efficient than all of them (their inefficiencies drive me crazy actually), but I’ve also taken up a lot of development to keep my mind sharp. If I only had my team to manage and not my own personal projects, I could really see regressing a lot.

[-] sqgl@sh.itjust.works 25 points 1 month ago

That's the Peter Principle.

[-] vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org 24 points 1 month ago

My dad around 1993 designed a cipher better than RC4 (I know it's not a high mark now, but it kinda was then) at the time, which passed audit by a relevant service.

My dad around 2003 still was intelligent enough, he'd explain me and my sister some interesting mathematical problems and notice similarities to them and interesting things in real life.

My dad around 2005 was promoted to a management position and was already becoming kinda dumber.

My dad around 2010 was a fucking idiot, you'd think he's mentally impaired.

My dad around 2015 apparently went to a fortuneteller to "heal me from autism".

So yeah. I think it's a bit similar to what happens to elderly people when they retire. Everything should be trained, and also real tasks give you feeling of life, giving orders and going to endless could-be-an-email meetings makes you both dumb and depressed.

[-] socphoenix@midwest.social 15 points 1 month ago

I’d expect similar at least. When one doesn’t keep up to date on new information and lets their brain coast it atrophies like any other muscle would from disuse.

this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2025
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