Your brain on AI

Many people find AI-based chatbots helpful in keeping up with news, but a study by Pattie Maes and her colleagues at the MIT Media Lab points to a big problem with this strategy. Participants who evaluated paired news headlines and images over the course of four weeks were initially 21% percent more accurate at telling…. Your brain on AI | MIT Technology Review window.__PRELOADED_STATE__ = {"componentData":{},"components":{"defaults":[{"name":"google-tag-manager","config":{"containerId":"","title":"","dataLayer":{"documentTitle":"","articleId":"","articleTopic":"","articleSubtopic":"","articleTags":"","author":"","contentType":"","paywallType":"","publishDate":"","storyFormat":"","updatedDate":"","wordCount":"","isSponsored":"","magazineType":"","issueStartDate":"","siteEngine":""}},"children":[],"componentGroups":{"default":[]}},{"name":"piano-installation","config":{"aid":"WUOCNSUgpu","pianoIdUrl":"https://auth.technologyreview.com","pianoSiteId":"1152128808813224044","pianoVxUrl":"https://vx-piano.technologyreview.com","pianoComposerUrl":"https://c2-piano.technologyreview.com","pianoCdnUrl":"https://cdn-piano.technologyreview.com"},"children":[],"componentGroups":{"default":[]}},{"name":"head","config":{},"children":[{"name":"title","config":{},"children":["MIT Technology Review"],"componentGroups":{"default":[]}}],"componentGroups":{"default":[]}},{"name":"header","config":{"homeUrl":"https://www.technologyreview.com/","postFormat":"mit-alumni-news","isPinned":false,"themeName":"light"},"children":[{"name":"user-greeting","config":{"themeName":"light","subscribeButtonCustomLabel":"technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MIT-TR_10-things-that-matter-in-AI-right-now_Social_1080x1080.jpg","blockEyebrow":"Artificial Intelligence","blockTitle":"10 things that matter in AI right now","ctaUrl":"/2026/04/21/1135643/10-ai-artificial-intelligence-trends-technologies-research-2026/","smartCrop":["50.00","50.00"],"blockUrl":"/2026/04/21/1135643/10-ai-artificial-intelligence-trends-technologies-research-2026/","podcastBlock":false},{"blockImage":"https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/HypeIndex-JUL26.jpg","blockEyebrow":"Artificial Intelligence","blockTitle":"The AI Hype Index: Unsexy AI","ctaUrl":"/2026/07/29/1140795/the-ai-hype-index-unsexy-ai/","smartCrop":["50.00","50.00"],"blockUrl":"/2026/07/29/1140795/the-ai-hype-index-unsexy-ai/","podcastBlock":false},{"blockImage":"https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/MIT-TR-TR102026-Thumbnail-Centered-Square.jpg","blockEyebrow":"Culture","blockTitle":"10 Breakthrough Technologies 2026","ctaUrl":"/2026/01/12/1130697/10-breakthrough-technologies-2026/","smartCrop":["50.00","50.00"],"blockUrl":"/2026/01/12/1130697/10-breakthrough-technologies-2026/","podcastBlock":false}],"columnId":"item-1027134_0"}]}},"children":[],"componentGroups":{"default":[]}},{"name":"menu-item","config":{"id":1027135,"label":"Topics","url":"/all-topics","themeName":"header","expandedMenuFields":{"hasCustomDropdown":"1","columns":[{"columnName":"Topics","columnType":"list","list":[{"label":"10 Breakthrough Technologies","url":"https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/12/1130697/10-breakthrough-technologies-2026/","sponsored":false},{"label":"Artificial intelligence","url":"https://www.technologyreview.com/topic/artificial-intelligence/","sponsored":false},{"label":"Biotechnology and health","url":"https://www.technologyreview.com/topic/biotechnology/","sponsored":false},{"label":"Business","url":"https://www.technologyreview.com/topic/business/","sponsored":false},{"label":"Climate change and energy","url":"https://www.technologyreview.com/topic/climate-change/","sponsored":false},{"label":"Computing","url":"https://www.technologyreview.com/topic/computing/","sponsored":false},{"label":"Culture","url":"https://www.technologyreview.com/topic/culture/","sponsored":false},{"label":"Subscriber-only stories","url":"https://www.technologyreview.com/tag/subscriber-only/","sponsored":false},{"label":"All topics","url":"/all-topics","sponsored":false}],"columnId":"item-1027135_0"},{"columnName":"Magazine","columnType":"block","block":[{"blockImage":"https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MITTR-JA26-Mag-Nav-Thumbnail.png","blockEyebrow":"July/August 2026","blockTitle":"The Engineering Issue","blockDescription":"It's not always \"go big or go home\".

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The result reflects an “AI dependency paradox” that has been observed in other domains, including medicine.

Medical Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with qualified healthcare professionals for medical decisions and treatment options.