Cognitive Debt: What Happens to Your Brain When AI Writes With You

In this episode we unpack a four-month neuroscientific study that pitted three essay-writing strategies against one another: pure brain-power, search-engine support, and large-language-model (LLM) assistance. Using EEG-based Dynamic Directed Transfer Function (dDTF) analysis, natural-language processing of the essays, and participant interviews, the researchers traced how each approach shapes neural connectivity, cognitive load, and even the sense of authorship. We explore why brain-only writers showed richer delta-band networks and deeper engagement, how AI tools can create linguistic echo chambers while saving mental effort, and what “cognitive debt” really means for learning, critical thinking, and the energy footprint of our words. By the end, you’ll have a fresh lens on the promise—and hidden costs—of hybrid cognition in the age of generative AI.

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