Have I Mentioned That I Like Playing With ChatGPT?

[Subdeacon Joe]

Heh!

 

From 

 

to

 

 

and 

 

 

[Jiminy Cricket]

ChatGPT has become my favorite cookbook.  

[Subdeacon Joe]

9 minutes ago, Jiminy Cricket said:

ChatGPT has become my favorite cookbook.  

 

YEAH! Give it a random list of ingredients and see what it comes up with.  Great fun!

[Jiminy Cricket]

1 minute ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

YEAH! Give it a random list of ingredients and see what it comes up with.  Great fun!

That, and I also like to set what I have on the counter, take a picture, and see what it comes up with.  Both methods come up with a pretty decent meal plan.

[Subdeacon Joe]

4 minutes ago, Jiminy Cricket said:

I also like to set what I have on the counter, take a picture, and see what it comes up with. 

 

 

Oooo...I hadn't thought of that!  Thanks!

[DeaconKC]

That picture with you and the coffee cup is great!

[Buckshot Bear]

I love it......but it's going to dumb people down.

[Subdeacon Joe]

19 minutes ago, Buckshot Bear said:

I love it......but it's going to dumb people down.

 

In a way,  that started with the printing press.  Why remember something when you can grab a book to get the information?

 

But, it's just another tool. It all depends on how it's used.

[Rye Miles #13621]

I look up stuff on Chatgbt all the time. It’s almost like talking to someone. Much better than Google or DuckDuckGo. They ask if there’s anything else you want and it even suggests things related to your search. It actually talks to you!

[Buckshot Bear]

18 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

In a way,  that started with the printing press.  Why remember something when you can grab a book to get the information?

 

But, it's just another tool. It all depends on how it's used.

 

But an automated tool, most tools you need to know how to use.....this one you don't for mundane tasks.

Its a nightmare for school teachers.

Even coders are being dumbed down with Chat.

 

If you want to move beyond basic chat prompts, I highly recommend doing some in depth reading to truly use chat -

 

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=f428b6d1b594cc50&udm=2&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZjSkgYzz5-5RrRWAIniWd7tzPwkE1KJWcRvaH01D-XIX002E0qNXsgfZ6fffiMQMi5-_D5b5oEjBGcsLP5FUOaaUQ7bIbj4iFLgtkUUPL7izG6aF9lg-KMgyDDndj9rGt89APCoytbniX64tVMdOtTqmZWqQ7sgBov5m065PISOzNbiJ4mvAhQBif43Aiv1iajWTuOw&q=book+chatgpt&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiKh6nCiOGQAxX0wjgGHYUVOnQQtKgLegQIEhAB&biw=1912&bih=924&dpr=1

[Rye Miles #13621]

20 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

In a way,  that started with the printing press.  Why remember something when you can grab a book to get the information?

 

But, it's just another tool. It all depends on how it's used.

 

1 hour ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

But an automated tool, most tools you need to know how to use.....this one you don't for mundane tasks.

Its a nightmare for school teachers.

Even coders are being dumbed down with Chat.

 

If you want to move beyond basic chat prompts, I highly recommend doing some in depth reading to truly use chat -

 

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=f428b6d1b594cc50&udm=2&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZjSkgYzz5-5RrRWAIniWd7tzPwkE1KJWcRvaH01D-XIX002E0qNXsgfZ6fffiMQMi5-_D5b5oEjBGcsLP5FUOaaUQ7bIbj4iFLgtkUUPL7izG6aF9lg-KMgyDDndj9rGt89APCoytbniX64tVMdOtTqmZWqQ7sgBov5m065PISOzNbiJ4mvAhQBif43Aiv1iajWTuOw&q=book+chatgpt&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiKh6nCiOGQAxX0wjgGHYUVOnQQtKgLegQIEhAB&biw=1912&bih=924&dpr=1

It’s all up to what you do with it. It’s not dumbing down anyone at least not me. It’s given me vital info on many things. If I really want to delve into something like for instance a certain historical story, I’ll read a book and Chatgbt can help me find the book! 🤣

Edited November 8, 2025 by Rye Miles #13621

[J-BAR #18287]

SDJ; you make a beautiful Santa!!!

 

😉

[Buckshot Bear]

1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

 

It’s all up to what you do with it. It’s not dumbing down anyone at least not me. It’s given me vital info on many things. If I really want to delve into something like for instance a certain historical story, I’ll read a book and Chatgbt can help me find the book! 🤣

 

That's your opinion and your welcome to believe and sprout whatever you want.

 

https://theconversation.com/mit-researchers-say-using-chatgpt-can-rot-your-brain-the-truth-is-a-little-more-complicated-259450

 

https://theconversation.com/mit-researchers-say-using-chatgpt-can-rot-your-brain-the-truth-is-a-little-more-complicated-259450

 

https://www.ndtv.com/feature/chatgpt-making-people-dumb-brains-of-youngsters-at-highest-risk-study-8708040

 

https://nouvelles.umontreal.ca/en/article/2023/11/24/is-chatgpt-making-us-dumber

 

 

And.......just for fun  -

 

Is chatgpt making people dumber

 

ChatGPT said:

That’s a great question: there’s no simple yes/no answer. The short version is: yes, heavy and uncritical use of tools like ChatGPT can make us less sharp in certain cognitive skills — but it’s not inevitable, and the tool can also enhance cognition when used thoughtfully.

Here’s a breakdown of what current research and commentary suggest about how AI-tools affect thinking, what the risks are, and how to use them smartly.

---

✅ What the research shows: benefits + risks

Benefits

• AI tools like ChatGPT can help with efficiency, clarity, generating ideas, synthesising information, etc. They can free up cognitive load so you focus on more creative/higher-level tasks.

• Some frameworks see AI as a “cognitive extension” or scaffold: it can help people build or organise their thinking rather than replace it.

Risks

Here are the key risks flagged by researchers:

• Cognitive offloading: When we rely on the tool to “do the thinking” for us — for example, generating answers without ourselves analysing them — we practise our critical thinking less. A recent study found a strong negative correlation between high AI-tool usage and performance on critical-thinking assessments. Phys.org+2MDPI+2

• Weaker engagement / retention: Some work suggests that when people use AI tools for tasks they might otherwise struggle through themselves (e.g., writing an essay), their brain activation, memory of what they learned, and ability to reason independently can go down. Psychology Today+1

• Younger people and lower education levels may be more vulnerable: The study found younger participants (17-25) more likely to offload to AI and correspondingly lower critical thinking scores. PsyPost - Psychology News+1

• Potential for laziness or passive use: AI can make tasks “too easy,” which might reduce motivation to engage deeply, struggle, learn. A piece from the University of Melbourne puts it as “if machines can handle the tough thinking, will humans stop flexing their own mental muscles?” Pursuit

So yes — the worry is real, especially if someone uses ChatGPT (or similar) as a shortcut and never engages the “thinking” part themselves.

---

🎯 But: It doesn’t mean AI makes everyone dumber

• The negative effects are correlations, not proven strong causality yet. The studies suggest frequent use is associated with weaker critical thinking, but don’t definitively prove that AI use by itself causes the decline in all cases. Phys.org+1

• Much depends on how you use the tool. If you use ChatGPT as a partner, a generator of ideas, a sounding board — rather than a shortcut to skip thinking — you can mitigate the risks.

• Education level, self-motivation, the purpose of use all matter. One study found that people with higher education were less negatively impacted by AI tool usage. PsyPost - Psychology News+1

---

🧠 What this means for you

Since you’re asking whether ChatGPT is making people dumber (in a general sense), here are some guidelines to ensure you’re using AI in a way that supports thinking rather than replacing it:

Good habits

• Use the tool as aid, not replacement. For example: ask ChatGPT for a draft, then you critique it, edit it, challenge it.

• Keep practising fundamental skills: reading deeply, reasoning, writing without help, solving problems from scratch.

• Ask questions of the tool: “Why did you choose that?” “What assumptions are you making?” “Could this be wrong?”

• Learn about AI’s limitations (hallucinations, biases, lack of context) so you don’t blindly trust it.

• Use AI for the scaffolding, then remove the scaffold: build independence. Some theories call this “progressive autonomy” in human-AI interaction.

Watch-out signs

• If you find yourself always using ChatGPT to write or solve things and rarely trying yourself.

• If you can’t explain or engage with results that the AI gave you.

• If your curiosity, struggle, or effort in thinking is going down.

• If you rely on AI answers without verifying or understanding them.

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[Rye Miles #13621]

6 minutes ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

SDJ; you make a beautiful Santa!!!

 

😉

I agree! I feel like sending him a Christmas list! 🤣

[Subdeacon Joe]

18 minutes ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

SDJ; you make a beautiful Santa!!!

 

😉

 

Not a bad Дед Мороз either. 

 

 

 

With Снегурочка,

 

 

[J-BAR #18287]

28 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

Not a bad Дед Мороз either. 

 

 

 

With Снегурочка,

 

 

You look great,  but I need English subtitles!

[Subdeacon Joe]

2 minutes ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

You look great,  but I need English subtitles!

 

Ded Moroz and Snegurochka. 

 

Grandfather Frost and Snow Maiden. 

[Stump Water]

15 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

Is chatgpt making people dumber

 

No more than the internet itself.   People have been using the internet to do their homework, research and plagiarize long before this supposed "AI" came along. 

 

What about navigation systems - be it on a cell phone or part of the "infotainment" system on cars these days?  We lament that people can't find their way out of the driveway without one.  Is that "dumber"?

 

When I started in IT (information systems back them) the "computer department" delivered reports on green-bar paper to management every morning.  That was their "information" for the day.  Then monitors showed up on desks.  Fast forward to today and the amount of data at people's fingertips is astounding.  Is that "dumber"?   No.  What's dumber is people in management positions that refuse to learn to use the tools that CAN turn that data into information - and remain resolute in their ignorance.  Yet that same person is most likely a veritable expert when it comes to their smart phone.  Yes, that IS dumber.