ProZ.com Translation Forums

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | AI and the Erosion of Critical Thinking in Translation

Ronika Kashyap — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 11:49:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Ronika Kashyap
Post title: AI and the Erosion of Critical Thinking in Translation

Interesting points raised here. Personally, I think the real issue isn’t just that AI makes us "lazy"- it’s that it subtly shifts our expectation of effort. When answers come instantly, we forget the value of the process itself. I’ve seen colleagues who once took pride in refining their translations now simply accept the first draft from a tool as “good enough.” The danger isn't just in trusting the machine too much—it's in forgetting how to question it at all.

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | Or alternatively

Daryo — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 18:38:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Daryo
Post title: Or alternatively

[quote]dkfmmuc wrote:

[quote]Ethan Keung wrote:

Worse yet there's a conspiracy theory stating that AI models actually have a mind of their own to analyse which language patterns (word-sentence combination) a user would most expect to see, and thus generate different contents to different people.

[Edited at 2025-07-13 17:43 GMT] [/quote]

Dear Ethan,
the term conspiracy theory mustn't be used in any context. It is normally and often used by the most powerful entity which claims to "own" the truth. Nearly every deviating theory - which makes language and/or discussions alive - is humiliated as that.
Indeed most of the formerly dismissed theories are "hypotheses" or "suspicion theories" which often come true after several years with their core statement. In real life some authors even exaggerate their suspicion theory in a way that the newly invented entity of the "trusted flagger" allows this to be published. If they wouldn't inflate it it would never be seen by the public.

Best regards

Gerd [/quote]

"the term conspiracy theory mustn't be used in any context"

Or alternatively ... you could start using it for anything and everything, make a mockery of it, until 'conspiracy theory' becomes no more than a silly background noise no one takes seriously.

Make it so that people resorting to speaking of 'conspiracy theories' to dismiss whatever they don't want to hear are seen as having some weird kind of Tourette syndrome.

Like using variations on 'there is a conspiracy theory that in fact XYZ does have a clue about what they are doing ...' at every opportunity.

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | Chat GPT's take on this discusssion thread - worth checking out

Pavle Perencevic — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 12:37:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Pavle Perencevic
Post title: Chat GPT's take on this discusssion thread - worth checking out

By the way, what's your take on this discussion about - YOU :) on proz.com: [url removed]

ChatGPT said:
Here’s what the ProZ.com thread highlights—and what I think about it 😊:

🧠 What translators on ProZ.com are discussing
A quick poll asked: “ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain.” Respondents chose “Agree”/“Disagree”/“No idea” — a sign that the community is noticing effects and questioning them
pol.proz.com
+9
ProZ
+9
ProZ
+9
.

The thread title ("ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain") suggests concern that using generative AI might be altering how translators think, possibly reducing critical thinking or changing workflow habits
ProZ.com
.

Further down, some translators commented that over-reliance on AI can:

Weaken critical thinking.

Make them too trusting of machine output.

Alter their own writing and problem-solving flow.

My take
This is a valid concern.
Research has shown that heavy use of AI tools can lead to passive consumption—where the user trusts output more than they critique it. That could diminish critical thinking over time.

But it’s not an inevitability.
If AI is used thoughtfully—as an aid or “second opinion”—rather than a crutch, it can enhance, not replace, your thinking. The trick lies in balance.

Smart integration over wholesale dependency.

Prompting critically: “Tell me another way to phrase this” vs. “Give me the best translation and I’ll take it.”

Double-checking AI suggestions against your expertise.

Maintaining and training key skills manually, occasionally.

TL;DR
Yes, some translators fear AI might dull their critical thinking. That’s real—but avoidable. With mindful use, AI can be a partner, not a replacement. You stay in the driver’s seat.

Would you like help with prompts or strategies to keep your brain actively engaged while using AI tools?

Sources
You said:
Absolutely! :)

ChatGPT said:
Awesome! 😄 Let’s make sure you get the best of both worlds—AI support and sharp critical thinking. Here are some tips and prompt strategies designed especially for translators and language pros like you:

🧠 Smart AI Use Without Losing Your Edge
1. 🔁 Use AI as a sparring partner, not a final answer
Instead of asking:

“Translate this paragraph.”

Try asking:

“Give me 2–3 translation variants of this sentence, focusing on tone/formality.”
“What cultural connotations might be lost in this translation?”
“How would this be phrased in UK English vs US English?”

➡ This forces you to compare, choose, and stay actively engaged.

2. 🧠 Reverse the process to test yourself
Try this prompt:

“Here’s my human translation. How would you have approached it differently? Be critical.”

You can then:

Compare your instinct vs the AI’s.

Evaluate why yours may be better.

Spot blind spots without surrendering authority.

3. 🧪 Use AI to challenge your assumptions
Ask:

“What are some possible mistranslations or false friends in this text?”
“What tone might be misinterpreted in this translation?”
“Suggest revisions to make this more concise/colloquial/formal.”

➡ You’re still the expert—this just widens your awareness.

4. 📚 Train by analyzing flawed output
Feed AI poor or literal translations and ask:

“What’s wrong with this translation, and how could it be improved?”

This makes you practice error-spotting, which is essential for editing.

5. 💡 Prompt for stylistic creativity
Ask things like:

“Rewrite this paragraph with a more persuasive tone.”
“Translate this with a literary flair, as if for a novel.”
“Give me a poetic interpretation of this phrase in French.”

You stay in control and spark ideas you can refine.

✅ BONUS: Good habits to retain brain sharpness
Regularly translate without tools—just pen, paper, and your brain.

Keep a translation journal: reflect on tough segments or choices.

Join forums (like ProZ!) and discuss nuances with other humans.

Read translated literature in both languages to see masterwork at play.

Would you like me to make a ready-to-use “cheat sheet” with these prompt ideas and habits for you to download or print?

You said:
Yes, absolutely... oh wait. I should actually try and make a ready-to-use cheat sheet myself! I only have this lazy brain of mine to blame!

ChatGPT said:
Haha! 😄 That “lazy brain” just made a pretty sharp call—because making your own cheat sheet is actually one of the best ways to reinforce what you’re learning.

When you create it:

You internalize the prompts better.

You tailor it to your specific workflow.

You stay actively engaged—exactly what the ProZ thread warned us about 😉

But hey—how about this:

I'll give you a template structure to get started (just headings and format). You fill it in with your own wording, favorite prompts, or insights. That way, your brain does the fun part without starting from scratch.

📝 DIY AI Translation Cheat Sheet – Template
🔁 Variant Exploration
Prompt:
“Give me ___ versions of this sentence, with different levels of ___.”

Use this for: Style, tone, formality, or idiomatic shifts.

🔎 Compare & Critique
Prompt:
“Here’s my translation. Be critical—what might you change and why?”

Use this for: Refining your own choices.

⚠️ Risk & Nuance Check
Prompt:
“What cultural/contextual misinterpretations might this create?”
“What false friends or traps should I watch for?”

Use this for: Accuracy, localization, nuance.

🧠 Active Practice
Prompt:
“Critique this (intentionally flawed) translation. What's wrong?”

Use this for: Training your editor brain.

🎨 Creative Stretch
Prompt:
“Translate this with a literary/poetic/persuasive voice.”
“How would this sound in marketing copy?”

Use this for: Style and expression.

✅ Good Habits
Translate 1 paragraph per day without tools.

Reflect on 1 translation challenge per week.

Read bilingual lit and compare editions.

Share/discuss in translator forums.

Want me to turn this into a fill-in-the-blank PDF template for you to use? Or would you like a digital version you can build on yourself?

You said:
Ok, go ahead, my friend :)

ChatGPT said:
Here’s your DIY AI Translation Cheat Sheet Template, ready for you to personalize and build on:

👉 Download the Word document

Feel free to scribble, expand, highlight, or even decorate it with coffee stains—it's yours now 😄 Let me know if you’d like a printable PDF version too!

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | In Thiruvananthapuram in 2008, they also were more aware of what was happening than elsewhere

Fredrik Pettersson — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 08:40:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Fredrik Pettersson
Post title: In Thiruvananthapuram in 2008, they also were more aware of what was happening than elsewhere

In 2008, I spent some time in Thiruvananthapuram in the very south in India for the first time, in the state of Kerala. I remember especially one person reacting to my manners and that I worked in front of the computer. He alluded that the way I work affected my whole being. Kerala is completely different from the rest of India, it is really a cradle of civilization, and the cradle of ayurvedic medicine. Just to mention, all martial arts you see in north-east Asia, like kung-fu, karate etc., originally came from here, out of the martial arts form kalarippayattu. Almost noone is illiterate. And as to the subject that Denis Fesik brings up, here in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, here there are many more than elsewhere that are not controlled by emotions by rely on cold facts and logic. I have been many times to Thiruvananthapuram.

The main thing computers and AI is doing to us is affecting our nervous system, like Ebba Grön pointed out in 1981.

[Edited at 2025-07-19 08:44 GMT] It is about electrical energies, electrical fields, affecting our brain and nervous system.

[Edited at 2025-07-19 08:48 GMT]

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | It is not only AI that does something to our brain, but the whole context with computers

Fredrik Pettersson — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 08:29:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Fredrik Pettersson
Post title: It is not only AI that does something to our brain, but the whole context with computers

Already 1981, the Swedish punk rock band predicted what was coming with the era of internet:

[url removed]

I was only 10 years at that time, but I still listen to their music today. The lyrics in English:

[url removed]

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | Hallucinations

Maria Laura Curzi — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 18:48:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Maria Laura Curzi
Post title: Hallucinations

[quote]Daryo wrote:

[quote]Ethan Keung wrote:

Worse yet there's a conspiracy theory stating that AI models actually have a mind of their own to analyse which language patterns (word-sentence combination) a user would most expect to see, and thus generate different contents to different people. Forgot the source (because I reckon it's completely non-sense) but I have just read an article a few days ago saying an AI model had rejected the user's command of shutting itself off because the user had let it know that he was about to switch to another model.

[Edited at 2025-07-13 17:43 GMT] [/quote]

'different contents to different people'?

THAT is the most typical politician's Modus Operandi / Standard Operating Procedure!

So even politicians are on the way to become ‘the new dodo' ...

[Start of sarcasm] How comforting to know you're not alone! [End of sarcasm] [/quote]

We all know politicians never tell the truth about political issues; they would rather prefer to tell things that sound good to people, without caring if they are true or not.

So, if the same applies to AI, no wonder it has so many hallucinations! :D

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | The boring 'sensible' variant ...

Daryo — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 08:08:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Daryo
Post title: The boring 'sensible' variant ...

Anything and everything that happens ends up 'doing something to your brain' - to various extent, from barely noticing to lasting effect.

When it comes to Meta/Siri/ChatGPT/Alexa/Copilot/Gemini & Co, I can't see much positives.

Especially when it's used without any critical distance.

Sure, you will get a quicker answer than if you go yourself searching for one. A good thing?

Never mind the **very real** risk of being randomly and unpredictably served with hallucinations, even perfectly good answers served on a plate will not do you much good in the long run.

See what happens with unused organs (biology 101 ...), prosaically also known as 'use it or lose it'.

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | WOW - so even politicians are on the way to become 'the new dodo'?

Daryo — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 00:45:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Daryo
Post title: WOW - so even politicians are on the way to become 'the new dodo'?

[quote]Ethan Keung wrote:

Worse yet there's a conspiracy theory stating that AI models actually have a mind of their own to analyse which language patterns (word-sentence combination) a user would most expect to see, and thus generate different contents to different people. Forgot the source (because I reckon it's completely non-sense) but I have just read an article a few days ago saying an AI model had rejected the user's command of shutting itself off because the user had let it know that he was about to switch to another model.

[Edited at 2025-07-13 17:43 GMT] [/quote]

'different contents to different people'?

THAT is the most typical politician's Modus Operandi / Standard Operating Procedure!

So even politicians are on the way to become ‘the new dodo' ...

[Start of sarcasm] How comforting to know you're not alone! [End of sarcasm]

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | Yes, but it is also helpful

Eva Stoppa — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:23:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Eva Stoppa
Post title: Yes, but it is also helpful

While I never use AI as language assistant -- only for fun -- I find its image description very helpful.

Being blind, I don't know what is on a picture or in a photo/video sent to me via different channels of interaction. But having the picture described by AI makes sense and gives me the information I otherwise wouldn't have.

Others -- who are able to tell -- say the image descriptions are excellent.

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | AI is said to be able to predict human behaviour

Eva Stoppa — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:20:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Eva Stoppa
Post title: AI is said to be able to predict human behaviour

According to an article in German I came across yesterday, AI has been trained to predict human behaviour. It can be found here:

[url removed]

I hope this link works.

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | Only if you let them

neilmac — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 11:58:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: neilmac
Post title: Only if you let them

I don't use Meta/Siri/ChatGPT/Alexa/Copilot/Gemini ... or anything similar if I can avoid it.
However, the random AI assistant that comes with Google these days is quite handy, for example for deciphering acronyms and abbreviations from different regions and contexts.

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | Over the time most suspicion theories become true

dkfmmuc — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 10:56:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: dkfmmuc
Post title: Over the time most suspicion theories become true

[quote]Ethan Keung wrote:

Worse yet there's a conspiracy theory stating that AI models actually have a mind of their own to analyse which language patterns (word-sentence combination) a user would most expect to see, and thus generate different contents to different people.

[Edited at 2025-07-13 17:43 GMT] [/quote]

Dear Ethan,
the term conspiracy theory mustn't be used in any context. It is normally and often used by the most powerful entity which claims to "own" the truth. Nearly every deviating theory - which makes language and/or discussions alive - is humiliated as that.
Indeed most of the formerly dismissed theories are "hypotheses" or "suspicion theories" which often come true after several years with their core statement. In real life some authors even exaggerate their suspicion theory in a way that the newly invented entity of the "trusted flagger" allows this to be published. If they wouldn't inflate it it would never be seen by the public.

Best regards

Gerd

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | conspiracy

Ethan Keung — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 17:42:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Ethan Keung
Post title: conspiracy

Worse yet there's a conspiracy theory stating that AI models actually have a mind of their own to analyse which language patterns (word-sentence combination) a user would most expect to see, and thus generate different contents to different people. Forgot the source (because I reckon it's completely non-sense) but I have just read an article a few days ago saying an AI model had rejected the user's command of shutting itself off because the user had let it know that he was about to switch to another model.

[Edited at 2025-07-13 17:43 GMT]

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | They do nothing to my brain…

Mario Chávez — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 14:10:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Mario Chávez
Post title: They do nothing to my brain…

…because I don't use generative IA to do things I can do for myself. I don't use Siri, Cortana or any of those crutches either.

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | ChatGPT makes the brain lazy

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 12:54:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Post title: ChatGPT makes the brain lazy

A new study from researchers at MIT’s Media Lab says that ChatGPT makes the brain lazy. “The study divided 54 subjects—18 to 39 year-olds—into three groups, and asked them to write several essays using ChatGPT, Google’s search engine, and nothing at all, respectively. Researchers used an EEG to record the writers’ brain activity across 32 regions, and found that of the three groups, ChatGPT users had the lowest brain engagement and “consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.” Over the course of several months, ChatGPT users got lazier with each subsequent essay, often resorting to copy-and-paste by the end of the study”.

[url removed]

These results do not surprise me at all, if I think of another technology that everyone uses: the calculator. Speaking from my own experience, I was born long before calculators existed, and I am able to do even complicated calculations in my head or on paper. When it comes to my children they started to struggle, even with simple addition and subtraction problems. As for my grandchildren, without a calculator, they cannot do any maths at all in their heads and they even tell me “why bother racking my brains doing calculations when the machine can do it for me”...

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | So, now it can talk, sing, and giggle

Denis Fesik — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 05:50:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Denis Fesik
Post title: So, now it can talk, sing, and giggle

That's worse than just writing things on the screen. I still have a long way to go before I ask my first question to a bot, so it's safe to say this tech doesn't affect my brain in any way. I have a very limited use scenario for AI-powered translation engines (already mentioned which one, and more than once, so I won't repeat myself) and don't have to resort to iti often. Plus, this scenario doesn't involve talking to bots or paying for AI services.

I believe people allow AI to affect their brains because they (the people, not the bots) are now controlled exclusively by emotions and care less and less about cold facts and logic. In the hypothetical situation of me talking to a bot, if the latter gets to flatter me in any way, I'll instantly dismiss that flattery as irrelevant information and will only pay attention to things that matter—and try to recheck them for potential hallucinations. I'm my post about ChatGPT doing physics, I raised the issue of AI hallucinations before this word first appeared on these forums. On the other hand, someone who gives emotional responses to whatever the bot wires (speaks, sings, or giggles} will certainly be vulnerable. This class of people came about with no assistance from AI (which might have contributed to its formation though) but is a product of engineering, which has been there for a long time

ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain | Artificial

Maria Laura Curzi — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 19:11:00 +0000

Forum: Translation news
Topic: ChatGPT, Gemini & others are doing something to your brain
Poster: Maria Laura Curzi
Post title: Artificial

To me, the problem is in the popular narrative that hammers all the time about the “Intelligence” of these script codes and leaves aside the “Artificial,” which is IMHO the most important part. So people might forget these aren't “Intelligent” creatures, but “Artificial” pieces of code.
Of course, talking and interacting with an "artificial" software that is presented as "intelligent" for a long time will affect the human mind.
It isn't just by chance that languages processed by AI (whether it's MT, chatbots, or whatever) are deteriorating; it's just one of the outcomes of how this artifice affects our brains.