Press Coverage
Media coverage and public discourse about research findings and their implications.
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Artificial review – Luca Guadagnino takes on OpenAI in muddled tech satire
A review of Luca Guadagnino's film about Sam Altman and OpenAI, which references research on 'cognitive surrender' — the phenomenon of AI use leading to diminished human cognition.
In This College AI Course, Descartes and Rousseau Are on the Syllabus
A college AI course puts Descartes and Rousseau on the syllabus, exploring how classic philosophy intersects with modern artificial intelligence.
Universities Grapple With AI: Warnings and Enthusiasm
Universities are caught between cautionary warnings and eager adoption of AI, raising questions about how higher education should respond to the technology's rapid advance.
The AI Chatbot Answering for Volunteers Is Really Just One Man
Behind the AI chatbot answering for volunteers is a single person, exposing how much of what we treat as 'AI' depends on unseen human labor.
How to Stop ChatGPT From Ruining the Way You Think
As ChatGPT becomes woven into daily thinking and decision-making, experts offer strategies to protect independent thought and avoid 'cognitive surrender'.
The AI Companies Want You to Surrender Your Mind
OpenAI and Anthropic are pushing users toward deeper reliance on AI, raising concerns about cognitive autonomy and the future of independent thinking.
A CEO's Daughter at Dartmouth Made Her Realize AI Productivity Has a Hidden Cost: 'Cognitive Surrender'
A conversation with her daughter at Dartmouth prompted a CEO to reckon with the concept of 'cognitive surrender' — the risk that AI productivity tools quietly erode our capacity for independent thought.
AI Search Is Collapsing the Old SEO Playbook
As AI-powered search reshapes how people find information online, the traditional SEO industry faces an existential reckoning.
Would You Trust AI for Ethical Advice?
As people increasingly turn to AI for guidance on complex moral questions, researchers examine the implications of delegating ethical decision-making to artificial intelligence.
How AI Is Reshaping America's Literacy Landscape
AI's impact on reading, writing, and digital literacy skills across America as technology transforms how people consume and create information.
People Are Outsourcing Major Life Decisions to AI. Experts Call It 'Cognitive Surrender.'
As people increasingly turn to AI for major life decisions, researchers warn of 'cognitive surrender' — adopting AI-generated answers as one's own without critical evaluation.
AI in High School: Preparing Students for an AI-Driven Future
How schools are adapting curriculum and teaching methods to help students navigate the rise of artificial intelligence.
AI Is Eroding Critical Thinking At Work. The Window Is Closing.
Artificial intelligence tools are quietly undermining critical thinking in the workplace, and experts warn the opportunity to course-correct may be narrowing.
Writing, Creativity, and AI: The Future of Human Expression
How artificial intelligence is reshaping the way we write, think creatively, and express ourselves in the modern age.
AI keeps inventing fake cases. Lawyers keep citing them
Judges around the U.S. have sanctioned lawyers for filing court documents laden with AI-hallucinated citations. The pattern emerging across cases shows that people keep trusting AI's answers even when they know the systems can be wrong. Research on 'cognitive surrender' at Wharton reveals how users defer thinking entirely to AI without verification, creating cascading failures in professional contexts.
Stanford Professor Teaches Tech-Free Classes—The Skill He Wants Students to Build
Writing is thinking. The blank page is terrifying because to fill it, we must wrangle a hurricane of thought into something ordered enough for someone else to understand. When AI writes for us, we lose all of this. Research finds that writing deepens critical thinking and improves memory, while cognitive surrender—when people allow AI to do their thinking for them—erodes these essential mental capacities.
5 Ways To Prevent AI Use From Quietly Eroding Your Judgment
A January 2026 Wharton study by researchers Steven D. Shaw and Gideon Nave named this distinction with precision. In experiments with 1,372 participants, roughly 79.8% continued to follow AI advice even when the AI provided incorrect answers, a pattern the researchers called 'cognitive surrender.'
The Psychological Costs of Adopting AI
AI adoption strategies are overwhelmingly framed around productivity and efficiency. But that lens misses a critical constraint: the psychological cost of working with AI. New research shows that 'psychological debt' — cognitive, autonomy, competency, and relatedness deficits — can undermine employee motivation and cancel out the productivity benefits of AI.
Are We Losing Our Minds to AI?
When we accept AI's outputs without applying scrutiny or our own intuition, we engage in 'cognitive surrender.' Whereas with typical cases of cognitive offloading we retain agency, surrender occurs at the point where 'you're just following,' explains Steve Shaw, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania who co-authored the paper that coined the term.
AI and the danger of cognitive surrender
How much should managers let bots do the thinking? A look at how AI might change the way people think, and whether the danger of 'cognitive surrender' should prompt a response.
Can We Get A.I. Out of Schools?
Researchers at Wharton coined a phrase, 'cognitive surrender,' for how people tend to defer to large language models over their own reason and judgment. Now imagine kids surrendering their critical thinking to A.I. before they've even developed critical-thinking skills in the first place.
AI chatbots could be making you stupider
As large language models take over more cognitive tasks, researchers warn this mental outsourcing comes with a cost — including reduced brain activity and 'cognitive surrender.'
AI Is Getting Smarter. Catching Its Mistakes Is Getting Harder.
As chatbots and agents grow more powerful and ubiquitous, recognizing the moments when they go rogue can be tricky.
AIs have 'personalities' – here's how they affect you more deeply than you may realize
Wharton researchers Steven Shaw and Gideon Nave have documented what they call 'cognitive surrender' — the tendency of people to adopt AI suggestions without critical scrutiny.
5 Tips To Keep Your Brain From Surrendering To AI
Drawing on research by Shaw and Nave (Wharton), the article explores the concept of "cognitive surrender" — where AI outputs are accepted with minimal scrutiny and human reasoning is no longer engaged — and offers five practical strategies to stay cognitively active in the age of AI.
Half of Social Science Research Doesn't Hold Up, Landmark Study Finds
Coverage of the landmark SCORE replication project published in Nature, finding that roughly half of social science research fails to replicate across business, economics, education, political science, psychology, and sociology.
Across the social sciences, half of research doesn't replicate
A sweeping project (SCORE) involving hundreds of researchers across dozens of countries found that roughly half of social science papers cannot be independently replicated, with a 49% replication success rate across 164 papers in Nature — consistent with findings from previous studies in psychology.
I Saw Something New in San Francisco
Ezra Klein explores how AI is reshaping human cognition, citing research by Gideon Nave and Steven Shaw on the distinction between 'cognitive offloading' and 'cognitive surrender' — when users relinquish cognitive control and adopt the AI's judgment as their own.
Hey Google, stop trying to write my emails!
A Vox reporter explores how Gmail's AI-generated replies exemplify 'cognitive surrender' — citing Wharton research by Gideon Nave and Steven Shaw on how outsourcing cognitively complex tasks to AI diminishes critical thinking and personal authenticity.
'Cognitive Surrender': We Trust AI Over Our Own Brains, Research Finds
Wharton researchers Gideon Nave and Steven Shaw coin the term 'cognitive surrender' — finding that people adopt AI answers without verification 80% of the time, and become more confident even in wrong answers.
The Cognitive Tax of Working with AI
Researchers are tracking new cognitive challenges from AI use, including 'cognitive debt'—the gap between what people produce with AI and their understanding of what they've made—and 'cognitive surrender,' the phenomenon of abdicating human reasoning to technology.
Why it's hard for humans to have the final say over AI
How AI Is Reshaping Human Intuition and Reasoning
Gideon Nave and Steven Shaw discuss cognitive surrender — the phenomenon of people adopting AI answers with minimal scrutiny — and the rise of a tri-system theory of human cognition.
Are We Cruising Toward Cognitive Capitulation?
AI is reshaping what we think, and if. We can still do something about that.
Research: When Used Correctly, LLMs Can Unlock More Creative Ideas
How generative AI can help teams break out of mental ruts — co-authored by Gideon Nave, Julian De Freitas, and Stefano Puntoni.
Exploring the Benefits and Risks of AI-Powered Innovation
Gideon Nave discusses the role of AI tools like ChatGPT in creative problem-solving and concerns about homogenization of ideas
Study: ChatGPT's creativity gap
AI can generate a larger volume of creative ideas than any human, but those ideas are too much alike, according to research from Wharton professors Gideon Nave and Christian Terwiesch
Anne Wojcicki's nonprofit wins bid to acquire genetic testing company 23andMe
Gideon Nave explains how genetic data could be used for personalized medicine and advertising, as 23andMe's acquisition raises fresh data privacy questions.
How to better brainstorm with ChatGPT in five steps
Gideon Nave's research on how ChatGPT reduces idea diversity offers practical steps for getting more out of AI brainstorming tools.
Does AI Limit Our Creativity?
New research from Gideon Nave and Christian Terwiesch shows that while ChatGPT improves individual idea quality, it reduces diversity across teams
23andMe's DNA data is going up for sale. Here's why companies might want it
Gideon Nave explains why genetic data offers huge potential for everything from medical research to advertising
Does Testosterone Affect Men's Economic Decisions?
Gideon Nave's large-scale study of 1,000 men found no evidence that testosterone affects economic behavior, challenging previous research
Navigating Genetic Data Privacy in the Wake of 23andMe's Bankruptcy
Gideon Nave explores the complex intersection of personal autonomy, informed consent, and societal benefit as 23andMe's bankruptcy raises urgent questions about genetic data control
Elon Musk thrives in a state of 'war,' according to his new biography. One expert says the world's richest man may be addicted to risk-taking
Gideon Nave discusses how Musk's predilection to continually seek out his next business conquest could be interpreted as an addiction to risk-taking behaviors
Cutting back on final drink of day 'could improve brain health'
Research shows cutting back on alcohol consumption, even by one drink, could improve brain health and reduce brain shrinkage
Just one drink per day can shrink your brain, study says
Study finds that even one alcoholic drink per day is associated with reductions in overall brain volume
How Wharton Is Growing Diversity in Neuroscience
Gideon Nave discusses the inaugural Applied Neuroscience and Business Analytics Summer Undergraduate Internship aimed at combating systemic inequalities in neuroscience and behavioral science
2021 Best 40-Under-40 Professors: Gideon Nave, The Wharton School
Named one of the best 40 business school professors under 40, recognized for providing students a unique opportunity to explore the usefulness of neuroscience in business settings.
Scientists identify the region of the brain associated with risk-taking - and it could explain why some people are more likely to smoke and drink
Gideon Nave and colleagues identify specific brain regions associated with general risk tolerance and risk-taking behaviors
Should Your DNA Data Be Used to Sell Products?
Gideon Nave examines the ethical concerns and marketing implications of using genetic data for personalized advertising
This Is How Loneliness Actually Changes Your Brain
Research reveals how social isolation affects brain structure, particularly regions linked to imagination and memory
Loneliness can help grow parts of brain tied to imagination, study finds
Study discovers that loneliness is associated with increased gray matter in brain regions tied to imagination and reminiscence
Science has been in a "replication crisis" for a decade. Have we learned anything?
Gideon Nave discusses the ongoing challenges and progress in addressing science's replication crisis
No testosterone link to empathy
Gideon Nave's largest-of-its-kind RCT with 643 men finds no causal link between testosterone and cognitive empathy, challenging the 'extreme male brain' theory of autism.
Study challenges idea that autism is caused by an overly masculine brain
Large-scale study finds no link between prenatal testosterone exposure and empathy, challenging the 'extreme male brain' theory
Extreme male brain theory of autism overturned as huge study finds no link between testosterone and lack of empathy
Research overturns the extreme male brain theory of autism, finding testosterone unrelated to lack of empathy
Does Testosterone Reduce Cognitive Empathy? Research Says No
Gideon Nave presents findings from the largest study of its kind showing no evidence that testosterone reduces cognitive empathy in men
Size isn't everything – it's what you do with it that matters
Lead author Gideon Nave discusses the large-scale preregistered study finding only a weak relationship between brain size and intelligence.
Are bigger brains smarter? Barely, says study led by Penn scholar.
Gideon Nave leads study finding only a weak relationship between brain size and intelligence
Bigger brains are smarter; but not by much
Study identifies structural brain differences associated with impulsive personality traits and behaviors
Is There a Replication Crisis in Research?
Gideon Nave discusses major replication study finding that 38% of social science experiments failed to reproduce original results
Researchers replicate just 13 of 21 social science experiments published in top journals
A large replication project found that only 13 of 21 social science experiments from top journals could be reproduced, highlighting the ongoing replication crisis.
More social science studies just failed to replicate. Here's why this is good
New findings show testosterone levels in the womb have minimal impact on later empathy and autistic traits
Experts are good at betting which scientific experiments can replicate
Research reveals that impulsive behavior is linked to brain structure differences, particularly in areas controlling decision-making
Attempt to replicate major social scientific findings of past decade fails
Groundbreaking study of brain imaging data finds weak correlation between brain volume and cognitive abilities
Online bettors can sniff out weak psychology studies
Large-scale analysis reveals that bigger brains are only slightly associated with higher intelligence
In psychology and other social sciences, many studies fail the reproducibility test
Research challenges common assumptions linking prenatal testosterone to autism and empathy development
The science behind social science gets shaken up – again
Gideon Nave discusses research showing minimal relationship between brain size and cognitive performance
Is testosterone the luxury hormone?
Research maps brain structure differences linked to general risk tolerance across various domains
Five ways high testosterone impacts men's behavior
Study identifies brain regions associated with risk-taking and risky behaviors like smoking and drinking
How Will Targeted Ads Fare in an Era of Data Protection?
Gideon Nave explores how GDPR regulations will impact targeted advertising and the use of personal data in marketing
What Facebook Can Do to Rebuild Trust
Experts discuss how Facebook can regain public trust following the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal
From Bach to Rock: How Music Preferences Predict Behavior
Gideon Nave discusses research showing musical preferences can predict personality traits like openness and extroversion
Personality predicts musical preference
Pioneering study combines genetic data with brain imaging to understand the biological basis of risk-taking
The secretive, billion-dollar world of Facebook's targeted ads
Research on Facebook likes and psychological persuasion
The Mistake Hormone
Major analysis reveals the neurological underpinnings of risky decision-making and adventurous behavior
One Facebook 'like' is all it takes to target adverts, academics find
Study uncovers brain structures that predispose individuals to take risks in life decisions
Testosterone makes men more impulsive
Study on testosterone and impulsive behavior
Testosterone makes men more impulsive
Research identifies the neural architecture underlying risk tolerance and adventurous personality traits
The Mistake Hormone
How testosterone affects decision-making and risk-taking
Testosterone Rex Is Dead, Long Live Testosterone
Opinion piece on testosterone and gender differences
Man can be so hormonal
Gideon Nave's research pinpoints brain regions that influence whether people embrace or avoid risky situations
Testosterone: The workplace hormone you never knew you had
How testosterone affects workplace behavior
This is a man's brain on testosterone
International collaboration discovers brain basis for individual differences in risk-taking propensity
Testosterone supplements may impair decision-making
Major study locates neural circuits that determine whether someone is risk-averse or risk-seeking
Nothing worse at work than a man convinced he's right
Study finds specific neuroanatomical features associated with a person's willingness to take risks
Testosterone supplements could lead to risky, impulsive decisions
Research on testosterone supplements and decision-making
Everything you've heard about sniffing oxytocin might be wrong
Research maps the connection between brain anatomy and tendency to engage in risky behaviors
Everything you've heard about sniffing oxytocin might be wrong
Critical review of oxytocin research
Everything you know about the love hormone is wrong
Debunking myths about oxytocin
The impact of acute stress on decision-making
Investigation shows how certain brain structures influence propensity for adventurous decisions
How scientists fell in and out of love with the hormone oxytocin
Study reveals neurobiological foundations of risk tolerance using advanced brain imaging techniques
A far from dismal outcome
Gideon Nave discusses research linking specific brain regions to general risk-taking tendencies
Can Science's Reproducibility Crisis Be Reproduced?
Comprehensive analysis identifies neuroanatomical predictors of risky decision-making across life domains
A hormone that makes men more loyal?
Gideon Nave discusses findings on the neural correlates of general risk tolerance and risky behaviors
The Weak Science Behind the Wrongly Named Moral Molecule
Brain imaging study reveals structural features associated with risk-seeking versus risk-averse personalities
Oxytocin Acts as a Love Hormone? Nah. The science reveals a much subtler effect on human behavior
Research uncovers the neural basis for why some individuals are naturally more willing to take risks than others
A New Algrhythm to Create Musical Meshups
Large-scale investigation identifies neuroanatomical predictors of risk-taking across multiple life domains
The Algo-Rhythm of Kutiman
Study maps brain structures that influence individual differences in risk tolerance and adventurous behavior