Most Replayed Moment: Brain Rot Experts - How To Use AI In A Healthy Way!

Steven Bartlett (0:04)

Based on everything that you know about how the brain works and neural networks and memory formation, what are your concerns as it relates to this whole generation of young people and older people flooding into these tools, using them on a daily basis before we understand the long-term consequences?

Terry Sejnowski (0:22)

We can't predict where it's going to end up. And it may take 20 years, right? I think that this is a good start, but the real issue is long-term use. Let me give you an example that is a kind of a miniature example of what we're talking about. Remember when electronic calculators were first introduced?

And here we are, it's at least 30 or 40 years later, the results are in. It's probably true that when they punch it in, there's less brain activity.

But in fact, it's made them more accurate, more productive. You have to look at the risks and the benefits.

Daniel Amen (1:04)

So it freed them up. It freed up cognitive space for them to do other things. So as I was listening to how you use ChatGPT, you interact with it and elevates what you know.

The danger is, is if you don't interact and you don't keep your brain working. Like I use it a lot. I have a clone. I've uploaded all of my books, all of my research papers, all of my public television specials, my scripts, and I'm like, answer this for me. And that can be very helpful, but not if I'm not interacting with it, not thinking with it.

Steven Bartlett (1:53)

That's what I think the word thinking is the key thing, because what's happening now is people have deferred their thinking to it. That is already what's happening. If you log on to, I won't name the social networks, but if you log on to certain social networks right now, you just read it, you get everything here was written by AI.

And I've got a friend who, again, I won't name, who has a LinkedIn profile and I've known him for 10 years.

What I'm seeing on his profile now is not my friend. Every single day, there's some essay on that. That's not my friend. That's not how he speaks. He's deferring all of his thinking now and it's working. He's getting more likes and more reach than he ever got in his life. And so why would he go back? Why would he go back to harder? If you've got Steven Bartlett here and you had this other Steven Bartlett here who had a PhD in everything and were attached, this Steven Bartlett, this Neanderthal, I'm going to get this guy to do everything for me, the other Steven Bartlett, the PhD in everything, Steven Bartlett.

Terry Sejnowski (2:50)

I'm going to get his brain.

Daniel Amen (2:51)

Even if it was bad for you?

Steven Bartlett (2:53)

Well, this is what I'm saying. People seem to act on their short-term incentives, not their long-term, not their long-term.

Terry Sejnowski (2:58)

Not everyone.

Daniel Amen (2:59)

Not everyone.

Steven Bartlett (3:00)

Would you say the vast majority of people?

Daniel Amen (3:02)

Yes.

Steven Bartlett (3:02)

Okay, so the vast majority of people act on their short-term incentives in life. I mean, the obesity problem in the United States is a prime example of that.

Daniel Amen (3:09)

Seventy-five percent.

Steven Bartlett (3:10)

Seventy-five percent of people are obese in the United States. And if you serve those people and say, do you know that that cheeseburger is going to increase your chance of obesity, but broccoli is going to reduce it, I would hazard a guess that they would say yes.

I would hazard a guess that if you said to people about their usage of social media, do you know that that's making you more anxious, they would say yes, and then they would continue to use it. So I think that we're much more driven by our short-term.

Daniel Amen (3:35)

I think we're not educating people enough.

I think, yes, high level, they know good for your brain or bad for it, but they don't connect to, it's my brain that gets me a date, it's my brain that gets me into college, it's my brain that gets me independence because I act more consistently. That's the disconnect. We're not teaching kids to love and care for their brain. If you love your brain and you do, and you're not obese and you're constantly learning, you are not a Neanderthal, you're a lifelong learner.

Steven Bartlett (4:14)

So why so many people in the United States are obese?

Daniel Amen (4:17)

Because they don't know.

Terry Sejnowski (4:19)

Because they don't know.