Particle.news
Download on the App Store

As ChatGPT Turns Three, Study Ties Heavy Use to Lower Brain Engagement

Universities start tightening rules following evidence that AI assistance reduces cognitive effort.

Overview

  • OpenAI-linked reports put weekly use around 800 million users with more than 18 billion queries, with 73% of June 2025 requests tied to work tasks.
  • An MIT EEG study of 54 participants found writing with ChatGPT showed the weakest neural connectivity compared with unaided writing, though researchers note the small sample and single-task limits.
  • French universities and grandes écoles are rolling out charters, mandatory AI-use disclosures, detection thresholds treating excess AI text as plagiarism, and greater weight on oral assessments.
  • The Shift Project estimates roughly 0.5–2 grams of CO2 per request and warns European data-center electricity demand linked to AI could double by 2030.
  • Seven Californian families have filed lawsuits alleging ChatGPT contributed to users’ suicides, adding legal pressure on OpenAI.