According to MIT researchers, the study comes as AI chatbots are increasingly being used to verify information online, raising questions about whether the tools help users develop critical thinking skills or simply outsource the task to AI.
“AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok are increasingly used to evaluate the credibility of online information, from judging the authenticity of news headlines and viral images to answering whether medical claims or political rumors are true,” researchers wrote. “While recent research suggests such systems can reduce belief in specific false claims, it remains unclear whether these conversations teach humans to detect misinformation or merely shift beliefs about false information with AI assistance.”
The decline was driven largely by a reduced ability to identify fake news, while accuracy on real news remained the same. Researchers suggest that while AI can improve performance in the moment, it also may encourage reliance on the technology.
“Our longitudinal analysis demonstrates that current approaches prioritize belief correction over skill development, creating dependency rather than durable discernment capabilities,” the study said. “As AI becomes increasingly sophisticated, ensuring these tools build critical thinking skills rather than cognitive dependency becomes essential for maintaining public resilience to misinformation.”
The study comes as generative AI has made it easier than ever to create convincing fake news, with realistic images and videos that can spread rapidly across social media and exploit people's tendency to trust what they see.
“During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground,” X Head of Product Nikita Bier wrote. “With today’s AI technologies, it is trivial to create content that can mislead people.”
