AI AND COGNITIVE OFFLOADING AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools is rapidly increasing among college students. These tools are mainly used to access information, complete assignments, prepare presentations, and even research papers. Cognitive offloading refers to reducing the mental processing required for a task through physical actions, such as writing a shopping list or using a calculator. This review gathers information about how AI is linked to putting mental work onto external tools.

This study reviewed 34 academic papers, mostly released from 2011 through 2025. The findings showed that AI tools have both advantages and disadvantages from offloading. Advantages include students’ efficiency, improved accessibility, and adaptive scaffolding. Disadvantages include reduced internalization of knowledge, superficial processing, and diminished metacognitive oversight. Despite the widespread use of AI, evidence of its long-term effects on learning remains limited.