The 2nd in our series of blogs about our brains and AI

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Forgetting is normal - our brains evolved to forget or else we’d be overwhelmed with the vast amounts of information that bombard us each day. But because information is at our fingertips and we don’t have to exercise our memories so much we are acquiring digital dementia.

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Perhaps that doesn’t matter when the information is readily available and you can access and use it immediately. However, memory isn’t simply holding onto information  to answer quick questions;  we use it to predict the future, critically evaluate and make decisions. If you have to look up the information each time your performance on these higher level activities is compromised.

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And it’s not just semantic (information) memory that’s affected. Since widespread adoption of GPS navigation it seems our hippocampal cells are reduced which challenges our spatial memory - we find it harder to navigate without support. Regular readers may remember that London taxi drivers who did the ‘Knowledge’ increased the size of their hippocampus because they had to learn to navigate all the streets in London.

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There’s not much evidence yet about how AI will affect our memories long term, but if you’re using GenAI regularly you probably already fail to encode information in the first place or you don’t retrieve it when required because you’re not actively recalling, assessing, critiquing. You probably already conceded some hippocampal territory to AI.

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One of our strong human abilities is applying information in different circumstances - we anticipate, predict and guess based on what we remember from similar previous experiences. If the information hasn’t been stored you are left with less experience to draw on.

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These ethical issues are already being discussed and potential solutions proposed but It’s in our own interests to continue to stretch and challenge our memories on a daily basis. Here’s a few ideas to keep your memory strong whilst benefitting from AI:

• When you need to make a decision, first of all list the pros and cons for yourself and share them with e.g. ChatGPT and ask it to analyse and add anymore you haven’t included. It may broaden your thinking and lead you to a better decision.
• When you need to remember something, ask GenAI to generate a strong memory link for you - eg a poem, limerick, mnemonic and use your own brain to recall the memory jogger.
• Take the time to plan your route in your head before turning on your GPS - and that way you won’t end up going to the wrong Newcastle (there are 5 in the UK).
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At Stellar Labs we harness AI to suggest multiple types of questions to support comprehension and long term memory. These are fed into the spaced repetition algorithm so that people's retention of key facts is tested, multiple times across specific intervals. Spaced repetition is one of the most effective cognitive activities you can do to build long term memory so you can be confident that your colleagues are getting the best brain exercise possible.

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P.S. Ironically, as I write this article on 23rd Jan 2025  ChatGPT is down- thank goodness I relied on my own experience to write it.

Source:

Dergaa I, Ben Saad H, Glenn JM, Amamou B, Ben Aissa M, Guelmami N, Fekih-Romdhane F, Chamari K. From tools to threats: a reflection on the impact of artificial-intelligence chatbots on cognitive health. Front Psychol. 2024 Apr 2;15:1259845. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1259845. PMID: 38629037; PMCID: PMC11020077.

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