Does AI Degenerate the Brain?  — Memory Inscription and Cognitive Optimization from the Perspective of LMT —

The claim that using AI causes the brain to degenerate is a misconception. This paper examines the issue from the perspectives of Load Minimization Theory (LMT) and neuroscience. Memory is not a simple act of “storage,” but the process of being inscribed as structure within the irreversible flow of time. When AI is used appropriately as a “mirror for thinking” or an “external structural synchronization partner,” it can activate the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, promoting long-term potentiation (LTP) and enhancing memory consolidation and cognitive structuring. From the LMT perspective (L = U + F + E), proper AI utilization reduces uncertainty (U), lowers psychological friction (F), and strategically optimizes effort (E). As a result, rather than degenerating, the brain’s cognitive structure becomes richer, and the continuous self gains greater depth. Rehabilitating AI’s reputation is not a matter of technology, but of our own usage and awareness. Conscious “inscription-oriented” use of AI holds the potential to functionally evolve the brain and deepen our creativity and inner peace.