ChatGPT Boosts Maths Answers, but Performance Falls When Help Is Removed

Participants in a maths experiment gave better answers while using ChatGPT, but their performance declined after the chatbot’s assistance was withdrawn, raising questions about how AI support affects independent problem-solving.

The experiment compared participants’ performance with access to ChatGPT and after that help was removed. The improvement seen during assisted tests did not carry over once participants had to work without it.

Participants also skipped more questions after losing access to the chatbot. That shift suggests the change was not limited to the quality of their answers: they were also leaving more problems unanswered.

The findings highlight a distinction between getting better results with a tool and developing the ability to solve problems independently. An AI-assisted answer may improve immediate performance without showing whether the user has mastered the underlying method.

Still, the summary does not establish that ChatGPT causes a lasting decline in thinking ability, or whether participants performed worse than they had before using it. The narrower finding is that performance fell and question-skipping increased when assistance was removed.