The majority of Scots fear that AI’s ability to find instant answers means that people will think less for themsevles, new research has found.

In addition, four in 10 Scots say the new tech has made their memory worse in general. This figure rises to 52% for 18 to 29 year olds, and 53% for those in their 30s.

This is according to a new survey commissioned by Scottish Bridge by and carried out by Find Out Now in September.

The study of 1,002 Scottish Adults focusses on the worries that regular AI use can negatively impact cognition, memory, and people’s ability to problem sold.

People are concerned about the technology’s effect on people in their lives, with about one in four (26%) fearing that someone they know uses AI to the degree that it affects their memory, their ability to hold a conversation, and their overall concentration.

Concerns around memory and the cognitive impact of AI are well founded – studies on students using AI and other technologies to varying degrees found that they were less able to recall the information in an essay they had written when AI was employed.

“Technology brings enormous benefits, but when devices remember everything for us and provide instant answers, there are fewer opportunities to exercise our memory and work through problems ourselves,” Sarah Gunn, chairwoman of Scottish Bridge.

“We’re increasingly hearing from people who want a reason to switch off, meet new people and do something that genuinely holds their attention. Bridge offers exactly that.”

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Professor Ana Basiri, director of the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Data Science and AI, said fears over the technology are “striking, but not surprising”. She said: “We’ve seen this pattern in previous technologies too, with calculators, GPS and smartphones each quietly retiring some skills we used to have, but AI is the next step, on a much bigger scale and dimension.

“We’ve seen this pattern in previous technologies too,” she said, “with calculators, GPS and smartphones each quietly retiring some skills we used to have, but AI is the next step, on a much bigger scale and dimension.

“It’s not just memorising facts and directions being outsourced, it’s also judgment, first-draft thinking, and problem-solving skills too.

“There’s also a quieter social cost and self-isolation concerns, as more people turn to chatbots rather than a friend, colleague or stranger, partly because it’s anonymous and carries less risk of embarrassment.”