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Study Finds AI Chatbot Use Cuts Math Scores 20%

5/8/2026

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Summary

Researchers Find Decline

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Oxford and UCLA found performance fell after an OpenAI GPT-5 chatbot session ended.
Performance on the last three math questions fell 20 % versus controls while skip rates nearly doubled.
Users who received AI hints performed like participants who never used AI.
The decline showed in SAT reading tasks, matching findings from Microsoft and Polish doctor studies that warn AI reliance may erode critical thinking.

Summary

Students Forget

Survey of 494 students found frequent ChatGPT users more likely to experience memory loss.
Georgetown neuroscience professor Adam Green warned reliance on AI could cause mental-work atrophy.
Researchers recommend priming the brain with light problem-solving before AI to improve retention.
Experts advise handwritten or typed notes and using AI to create quizzes.
Experts suggest drafting ideas on paper first, then using AI for refinement.

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Researchers Find Decline

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Oxford and UCLA found performance fell after an OpenAI GPT-5 chatbot session ended.
Performance on the last three math questions fell 20 % versus controls while skip rates nearly doubled.
Users who received AI hints performed like participants who never used AI.
The decline showed in SAT reading tasks, matching findings from Microsoft and Polish doctor studies that warn AI reliance may erode critical thinking.

1 / 2