Research conducted by Zeineb Farhat, of ISC Paris, has highlighted a side effect of the mass adoption of ChatGPT: the intellectual laziness. The study, based on interviews with 45 young French adults between 18 and 25 years old, describes a daily use of the chatbot that goes beyond simple technical support and ends up affecting memory, critical thinking and psychological autonomy.
The methodology is qualitative: semi-structured interviews 45 to 60 minutes, conducted in person or via video call, then analyzed to identify recurring themes in participants’ responses. Not a large-scale statistical sample, therefore, but an in-depth investigation into the habits and perceptions of those who use the chatbot every day.
The results tell a story heavy use that reduces independent thinking and the ability to critically evaluate sources. On the memory front, an “externalization” mechanism emerges: several interviewees said they had started to ask ChatGPT instead of trying to remembera habit that researchers believe erodes self-confidence and decision-making autonomy over time.
When the chatbot becomes a confidant
The most disturbing part of the study concerns social isolation. For some participants ChatGPT ended up replacing conversations with other people: “ChatGPT has become my friend, he hears me better than most people,” said one of the interviewees cited in the research. A use which, according to the authors, also reduces the intrinsic motivation to learn on one’s own.
Not the whole picture is negative. The same interviewees recognize that ChatGPT has a value when it is used as a collaborative tool: in that case it enhances creativity and reasoning, as well as reducing anxiety when faced with tasks perceived as too complex. The difference, for researchers, lies entirely in the intention with which it is used: occasional support or permanent crutch.
The study comes as the chatbot’s user base continues to grow: ChatGPT it reached 1 million users in the first week of launch and today exceeds 180 million active users. Numbers which, according to the authors, make it even more urgent to understand which cognitive habits are being consolidated on a mass scale.
The researchers themselves urge caution when interpreting the results. The sample is small and limited to France, therefore not generalizable to other cultures or age groups, and the study captures just one moment in time without being able to measure long-term effects. However, it remains a first qualitative signal on a phenomenon that academic research has also begun to document elsewhere, from experiments on the decline in cognitive commitment in academic writing to work on the so-called “metacognitive laziness” of students who also entrust critical thinking to artificial intelligence, not just repetitive tasks.
