Almost two decades ago, Ming predicted that within 20 to 30 years we would see a statistically meaningful rise in dementia rates directly related to our overreliance on Google Maps. “I meant it to be provocative,” Ming says. “If you don’t have to think about navigating then there’ll be some detectable effect.”
While we don’t have data on this exact prediction, the increased use of GPS has been linked to worse spatial memory over time, according to one study of 13 people conducted over three years. And poor spatial navigation may be a potential predictor of Alzheimer’s Disease, according to another study.
It’s clear that the more active our brain is, the more protected it is from cognitive decline. LLMs then, Ming says, could not only reduce creativity but could harm cognition and potentially increase the risk of dementia.
As AI tool use increases, we need to work with it in a way that benefits us rather than harms us. Ming suggests that ultimately, the goal could be a form of “hybrid intelligence” where humans and machines “do the hard stuff” together. By this she means we need to think first and use tools to challenge us later, rather than simply letting them answer questions for us. Kosmyna agrees and suggests learning subjects without AI tools first to build a foundation and then think about using LLMs.
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