Well, that's certainly a take.

But if I'm teaching a class, and one student keeps asking questions that they feel the material raised, I don't tend to think "brain damage". I think "engaged and interested student".

Not OP but there's a difference between needing to ask more questions and asking more questions because its easier now.

Personally, I find myself often asking AI about things I wouldn't have been bothered to find out about before.

For example I've always these funny little grates on the outside of houses near me and wondered what they are. Googling "little grates outside houses" doesn't help at all. Give AI a vagueish description and it instantly tells you they are old boot scapers.

Haha you nailed it. Walking around and experiencing the world I can now ask a vague question and usually find an answer.

Maybe there is a movie in the back of my head or a song. Typical search engine queries would never find it. I can give super vague references to a LLM and with search enabled get an answer that’s correct often enough.

The ability to keep following the thread and interrogating the answers is also very valuable. You never have to accept an answer you only half understand.

Fair point, though I think there’s a difference between “questions out of confusion” and “questions out of curiosity.”

If I’m constantly asking “what does this mean again?” that would signal decline. But if I’m asking “what if I combine this with X?” or “what are the tradeoffs of Y?” that feels like the opposite: more engagement, not less.

That’s why I’m skeptical of blanket claims from one study, the lived experience doesn’t map so cleanly.