In this episode of the ODSC Ai X Podcast, host Sheamus McGovern sits down with Dr. Nataliya Kosmyna, neuroscientist and researcher at MIT Media Lab, to explore her viral research paper “Your Brain on ChatGPT.” Dr. Kosmyna discusses the study’s startling findings on how AI writing tools like ChatGPT can impact memory, learning, cognitive engagement, and even long-term brain development. She also shares how science fiction inspired her career in brain-computer interfaces and offers powerful insights for educators, technologists, and everyday users of generative AI.

Key Topics Covered:

• What “cognitive debt” means and how it differs from “cognitive offloading” and the “Google effect”
• How over-reliance on LLMs like ChatGPT can reduce cognitive engagement and memory recall
• The role of EEG and neural connectivity in assessing cognitive load during essay writing
• Why essays written with ChatGPT lack originality, personal voice, and ownership
• The potential dangers of using LLMs in education—especially among developing brains
• What Session 4 of the study revealed about users’ inability to adapt once LLM support was removed
• Concrete strategies for using AI responsibly and mitigating long-term cognitive risk
• How AI tools should be designed with the human brain—and human development—in mind
• The hidden energy and environmental costs of constant AI use
• Why younger users may be the most vulnerable to long-term cognitive effects

Memorable Outtakes:

• "There is no cognitive credit card. You cannot pay this debt off." — Dr. Nataliya Kosmyna
• "You do not talk to a calculator about your feelings." — Dr. Nataliya Kosmyna, on why LLMs are fundamentally different from traditional tools
• "If you don’t feel ownership over your work, what is there left to remember?" — Dr. Kosmyna on the link between memory encoding and cognitive agency

References & Resources:

• Paper: Your Brain on ChatGPT https://arxiv.org/pdf/2506.08872
• Dr. Nataliya Kosmyna –https://www.media.mit.edu/people/nkosmyna/overview/
• MIT Media Lab – https://www.media.mit.edu/
• Brain & LLM Project – https://www.brainonllm.com/
• MIT OpenCourseWare (mentioned during the interview) – https://ocw.mit.edu/

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