MIT professor Eric So argues that leaning too hard on AI can weaken memory, problem-solving, and foundational mastery, according to Fox News. His point isn't that you should delete your chatbot. He says AI is harmful when it works as an answer machine, but valuable when it works as a tutor or cognitive trainer.
That distinction is something you can act on today. Below is a practical way to set up your AI habits so the tool does the coaching and you keep doing the thinking. These steps work in any chatbot app or browser-based assistant, on a phone or a computer, and don't depend on a specific version.
Why instant answers have a cost
Per the Fox News report, So says AI exploits the brain's natural tendency to conserve mental effort and seek instant gratification. The result, he argues, is a feedback loop: the easier it is to ask a chatbot, the more you ask it, even for the simplest tasks.
His core concern is the loss of "friction," the mental effort that learning requires. When a chatbot removes the struggle of recalling a fact, working through a problem, or drafting a first attempt, you also skip the part that builds the skill. That is So's argument, not a settled law, but it matches a common experience: copying an answer feels productive and leaves little behind.
Step 1: Try first, then ask
Before you open the chatbot, spend two to five minutes on your own attempt. Jot down what you think the answer is, outline the email, or sketch the first step of the problem.
Why it helps: the effort of retrieving and organizing ideas is the friction So says matters. Even a rough or wrong attempt gives the AI something to respond to, and gives you something to compare against.
Step 2: Ask for hints, not solutions
Change the way you phrase your request. Instead of "Solve this," paste your attempt and try prompts like these:
- "Don't give me the answer. Give me one hint for the next step."
- "Here's my reasoning. Where does it go wrong?"
- "Ask me three questions that would help me figure this out myself."
This turns the chatbot from an answer machine into the tutor So describes. If you get stuck after a couple of hints, then ask for a fuller explanation.
Step 3: Make it quiz you
One of the best tutor-style uses is the reverse of asking questions: have the AI ask them.
- Paste in your notes or tell the chatbot the topic you're studying.
- Type: "Quiz me with five questions, one at a time. Wait for my answer before telling me if I'm right."
- Answer from memory, without looking at your notes.
- Ask it to explain anything you missed, then request a second round on only those weak spots.
Pulling information out of your head is exactly the kind of effortful practice that an answer machine skips.
Step 4: Explain it back
After the AI explains something, close the window or scroll away and write a short explanation in your own words. Then paste it in and ask: "What did I get wrong or leave out?"
If you can't explain the idea without peeking, you've found the gap. That's useful information a copy-and-paste would have hidden.
Step 5: Keep AI out of the basics
So's concern centers on foundational mastery. Pick a few skills that are core to your work or studies and keep them AI-free, at least while you're learning them. Examples:
- Mental or pen-and-paper math you need for your field
- Writing your own first draft or outline
- Summarizing an article you read before checking an AI summary
- Remembering a routine task, like a common formula or a phone number you use often
Use AI on the surrounding material: organizing a schedule, checking your work, or generating practice problems.
Step 6: Use a simple self-check
Before you send a prompt, ask yourself one question: "Am I trying to learn this, or just get it done?"
- If you're trying to learn, use tutor mode: hints, quizzes, feedback.
- If it's a low-stakes chore you don't need to master, like reformatting a list, letting the AI handle it is reasonable.
The point isn't to avoid AI. It's to choose deliberately, rather than reaching for it out of habit, which is the loop So describes.
A quick setup for students and workers
If you want this to stick, save a short instruction you can paste at the start of any chat:
"Act as a tutor. Don't give me final answers right away. Ask me what I've tried, give hints first, and quiz me when we finish."
Many chatbot apps offer a custom instructions or saved prompt feature in their settings, though the name and location vary by app and version. If yours doesn't, keep the line in a notes app and paste it in.
What this approach can't promise
So's argument is about how AI affects thinking over time, and the Fox News report presents it as his view. These steps are practical ways to apply that view, not guaranteed fixes. Tutor-style prompting takes more time than just asking for the answer, and that's the trade: a little friction now for skills you keep.
Next time you're about to type "just tell me," write your own attempt first and send that instead.
