👨‍💻 10 Minutes With AI Can Sap Motivation to Solve Problems on Your Own

In three experiments, participants were asked to solve fraction problems or answer questions about texts they had read. Some worked independently, while others had access to ChatGPT, which they could ask for hints or even complete solutions. Participants were free to skip any question.

After a series of tasks, the researchers suddenly cut off access to the bot, leaving the AI-assisted group to tackle the final three questions on their own.

📌 Without AI, participants who had previously relied on the chatbot performed noticeably worse than those who had worked independently from the start. More surprisingly, they were also more likely to give up and skip questions, even though there was no penalty for incorrect answers. The effect was especially pronounced among those accustomed to getting ready-made solutions from the chatbot.

💡 The researchers argue that AI needs to work differently to become a truly useful learning to…

@aitopics