The Short Version
Research links cognitive risks to excessive or exclusive AI reliance, not to AI tool use in general — making this claim a significant overstatement. Multiple peer-reviewed studies find that heavy, passive dependence on AI can reduce cognitive engagement and retention, but the same literature emphasizes that moderate use shows minimal impact and that outcomes depend on how tools are used. The blanket causal framing strips away these critical conditions and ignores evidence that AI can also augment cognition.