openalexJournal of the Association for Information Systems2026-08-15
When ChatGPT Is Down, So Are Our Brains: Cognitive Fragility Following AI Disruption in Knowledge Work
Larry Zhiming Xu, Gabriel Velez, Jacklynn Fitzgerald, Jungmin Lee, Terence T. Ow
As generative AI becomes embedded in everyday knowledge work, it increasingly functions not merely as a tool but as cognitive infrastructure—something users expect to be continuously available, responsive, and reliable. While recent discussions of AI-related “brain rot” have focu…