Study warns AI use could create a “boiled frog” effect on the brain with long-term consequences

Using artificial intelligence to complete everyday tasks may come with hidden risks—ones that build slowly and are easy to overlook.

A new study suggests that frequent reliance on AI could gradually weaken key cognitive abilities, creating a “boiled frog” effect where the damage accumulates over time without immediate warning.

A subtle but serious shift

Researchers from institutions including the University of Oxford, MIT, UCLA and Carnegie Mellon found that AI assistance can reduce both persistence and independent problem-solving ability.

Participants who used AI for tasks such as reading comprehension and mathematical reasoning performed worse when the tool was removed—and were more likely to give up altogether.

The researchers described this trade-off as having “a high cognitive cost.”

Short-term gains, long-term risks

While AI can help users arrive at correct answers more quickly, it may come at the expense of deeper understanding.

“Reduced persistence and impaired performance without assistance” were identified as two key outcomes of repeated AI use.

These effects are particularly concerning because persistence is closely tied to long-term learning and skill development.

A cumulative effect

The study warns that the real danger lies in how these small effects add up.

“We warn that if such effects accumulate with the sustained use of AI… [they] risk eroding the very human capabilities they are supposed to support.”

Over time, this could undermine concentration, reasoning and the ability to tackle complex problems independently.

The “boiled frog” scenario

Researchers liken the process to the “boiled frog” metaphor—where gradual change goes unnoticed until it becomes too late to reverse.

“This is analogous to the ‘boiled frog’ effect, in which each incremental action appears to have no cost, until the cumulative effect becomes overwhelming and unmanageable,” they said.

In this case, each small reliance on AI may seem harmless, but together they could reshape how people think and learn.

Not as simple as it sounds

Experts caution that the issue is more nuanced than AI simply making people less capable.

“It’s not that AI is making us ‘dummies’ – it’s more subtle than that,” said co-author Grace Liu of Carnegie Mellon University.

The concern centers on the loss of what researchers call “desirable difficulty”—the effort required to build lasting cognitive skills.

A call for careful use

The researchers stress that the findings are not a reason to abandon AI, but rather to use it more thoughtfully—especially in educational settings.

“It’s not a reason to avoid AI, but it is a reason to design and use these tools carefully,” Liu said.

As AI becomes more embedded in daily life, the challenge may not just be what it can do for us—but what it might quietly take away over time.

Sources: University of Oxford, MIT, UCLA and Carnegie Mellon

This article is made and published by Asger Risom, who may have used AI in the preparation