by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn
In a provocative column from The New York Times (July 3, 2025), David Brooks highlights the growing cognitive risks of over-relying on AI tools for thinking and writing. Citing new research by M.I.T.’s Nataliya Kosmyna, Brooks explores how students who used large language models (LLMs) to generate essays retained less knowledge, showed weaker brain connectivity, and felt less ownership of their work compared to those who relied on their own cognitive effort. In short: more effort equals more learning; more automation equals diminished brain engagement.
This is exactly the problem BrainStream was created to solve.
Rather than handing students a completed essay, BrainStream walks them through the thinking process behind the answer. Our AI-powered tutor engages students in conversation, challenges them with scaffolded questions, and encourages reflection. It’s not about efficiency—it’s about education.
The MIT study used EEG data to demonstrate that students who did the cognitive heavy lifting developed stronger neural connections. BrainStream reinforces this principle by ensuring the AI is a coach, not a crutch.
As Brooks puts it, “Thinking hard strengthens your mental capacity.” BrainStream agrees—and we’re here to make sure students don’t lose that capacity by outsourcing it to a bot.
Source: “The Malevolent Seduction of A.I.” by David Brooks, The New York Times, July 3, 2025.