What an FMRI Study Taught Us About AI, Learning, and Cognitive Effort
Dec 08, 2025One of the most fascinating conversations we had at OLC came after a keynote discussing new research on how students use AI. Since AI is still so new, high-quality studies are rare—but one FMRI study stood out.
Researchers scanned students’ brains while they completed writing tasks. Here’s what they found:
- Students who let AI write their essay showed almost no brain activation.
Very little cognitive effort. Very little learning. - Students who drafted first, then used AI to refine their work, showed the same brain activation as traditional writing.
They still learned.
The insight is profound:
AI doesn’t prevent learning—but bypassing effort does.
This lines up with decades of cognitive science. Learning requires:
- Time on task
- Focus
- Cognitive load
- Struggle that activates neural pathways
AI can support learning beautifully if students engage first.
But when AI becomes the starting point, learning collapses.
Instead of banning AI or trying to catch students who “cheat,” a better path is emerging:
Teach students how to use AI responsibly within each discipline.
Programmers already do this.
Writers, researchers, and designers are learning it now.
AI literacy is becoming a survival skill—not just a convenience.
But like calculators, spellcheck, and every disruptive tool before it, students must know how and when to use it.
Faculty aren’t becoming less important.
They’re becoming more important than ever—as guides, interpreters, and mentors in how knowledge is shaped.
For the full discussion and more insights from the conference floor, listen to the latest Engaged By Design podcast episode.
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