Tag cognitive offloading

Bar chart showing that high school maths students with a standard chatbot scored 48% higher on practice problems but 17% lower on a later exam without AI, while students with a guardrailed AI tutor scored 127% higher in practice with no significant change in the exam. Source: Bastani et al., PNAS, 2025.

Artificial Intelligence Education

Cognitive Offloading and AI: What AERO’s New Advice Means for Teachers

AERO's new advice warns that AI can make students' work look better while they learn less. What cognitive offloading is, what the evidence shows and what to change in class.

Clara Whitfield
October 16, 2026