AI Tools May Hinder Deep Learning by Bypassing Struggle, Experts Warn

A growing concern among educators is that AI tools like ChatGPT are enabling students to obtain answers instantly, skipping the effortful problem-solving process that cognitive science links to long-term retention. The argument draws on the well-established 'testing effect,' which holds that struggling to retrieve information from memory is what builds durable knowledge. Critics compare AI's classroom adoption to the unchecked rise of social media in the late 2000s, warning that dependency may quietly erode foundational skills. Environmental concerns add another dimension, as routine student queries to AI systems carry a higher energy cost than simple web or documentation searches. Some governments are beginning to respond — Italy temporarily restricted ChatGPT in 2023 and the EU is developing an AI regulatory framework — but many argue meaningful oversight in education has come too late.