Aspiring foreign correspondent Emily VanLeer does not use Al as a primary tool; however, this is not only due to academic integrity policies or rules put in place by authority. VanLeer rejects the use of ChatGPT and other Al tools because she views them more so as crutches that will not benefit her work.

As suggested by a recent MIT study, too much Al use could increase cognitive decline, leading to weaker brain connectivity and lower memory retention. VanLeer, although not having read the study herself, agreed with its consensus. “I kind of hate that it’s constantly used because I feel like you’re just taking the benefits out of yourself, because I’m the kind of person who loves learning and reading,” said VanLeer. “You’re kind of robbing yourself of actually learning and getting the skills down.”

VanLeer’s pursuit of knowledge is evident, as she speaks about learning and using more traditional methods for research, such as library books, which allow her to feel like she’s getting more benefits, especially compared to looking up information on the web.

VanLeer also dislikes the robotic tone of Al-generated content, as well as the lack of human experiences when using Al as a tool. “If we keep using it, it’s going to take a lot of the human stuff out of it,” said VanLeer. “Like, you’re not going to have that same thought process, the same emotions, the same benefits that doing an actual action gives you.” VanLeer believes that acknowledging the fact that the use of Al will affect work, as well as process, in this detrimental way, will encourage people to limit their use and reliance on Al.