ChatGPT may help you find information faster, but you learn less

Chatbots like ChatGPT can provide direct answers to your questions that feel complete and comprehensive. But a new study Shows that, compared to a regular Google search, the amount of knowledge obtained is less.

We have become accustomed to looking up information on Google while working on projects or having a normal conversation and want to verify an argument. Google usually responds by referring you to several websites related to the topic you are looking for in order to find the information you are looking for.

Chatbots, on the other hand, who have access to huge data sets and use large language models, can sift through all that content for you, and respond in a very conversational, almost personal way. Since chatbots are programmed to listen like a human and give you thorough results, there’s a tendency to accept it at face value.

A study at the University of Pennsylvaniaconducted seven different experiments by asking more than 10,000 students to learn about a topic – such as how to plant a vegetable garden – then write advice to a friend on that topic. half of growup used regular Google search, the other used the latest version of ChatGPT.

The results were then analyzed to see how much the participants actually learned, And how likely they were to follow their own advice. The researchers found that across all seven experiments, people who used regular Google searches provided longer, more thoughtful presentations, using richer, greater variety.IED language thAnd those who are using ChatGPT. And those who used ChatGPT were less informative overall Advice He gave, and there is little chance of getting Trust the advice they give.

Scientists concluded that since Google search presents many links on a topic, it requires more brain power to understand the topic before typing it. Different sites may provide alternative views or suggestions, so users will have to check the sources of that information and come to their own conclusions.

Although one experiment involved using a version of ChatGPT with lots of links and references, only a quarter of participants actually clicked on a link. Whatever answer the rest gave, he accepted it.

This study is one of several similar projects looking at the cognitive costs of chatbots. A group at mit EEG was used to peer into the brains of subjects while writing SAT essays. In A pre-print studyThey found that those who used chatbots all wrote similar essays, and they had the lowest levels of neural activity during the process. They also found that the results were cumulative, so brain engagement decreased more with each subsequent essay.

Meanwhile, participants who didn’t use any technology to write their essays showed the highest levels of neural activity, and were overall more creative, curious, engaged, and satisfied with the final results.

This demonstrates the difference between information and knowledge. We are surrounded by an ocean of information on our computers and devices, but much of it can easily go in one ear and out the other. If it doesn’t make sense, you haven’t learned anything.

Whereas if you have to really think about something, and put the information together through research and turn it into a body of knowledge, there’s a better chance that it will stick. You really learned something.

Clearly, AI programs are here to stay. They are proving to be powerful research tools, gathering details or seeing patterns in data that humans miss. But these results show that critical thinking, fact checking, and source verification are still important parts of the process.

I tried it myself on how to stay healthy after 70. ChatGPT gave me a simple list of daily exercise and eating habits to stay fit. Google gave me links to pages from medical institutions that had far more in-depth reading material about the aging process, how the body changes as we get older, and how to appropriately adapt exercise and diet to a senior.

the end results were the sameBut the Google results came from a much richer database, which I dug into myself to see which method worked best. And I felt more informed after a Google search than using a chatbot.

Whatever search engine you use, remember to take the time to think about the results you get, and you might really learn something.