Risko & Gilbert's influential review in Trends in Cognitive Sciences established the definitive framework for understanding cognitive offloading — the use of physical actions or external tools to reduce the cognitive demands of a task.
The paper identifies three key forms of cognitive offloading:
- Perceptual offloading — physically manipulating the environment (e.g., rotating a map)
- Memory offloading — storing information externally (notes, reminders, search engines)
- Computational offloading — delegating mental computations to calculators or software
AI tools, particularly LLMs, represent a convergence of all three forms. They can remember, compute, and even reason — making them the most comprehensive cognitive offloading tool in human history.
The Trade-off
The authors note that cognitive offloading is not inherently negative — it frees up mental resources for other tasks. However, excessive reliance can lead to skill atrophy and reduced cognitive resilience. The key question is whether we are offloading to enhance cognition or to replace it.
Source
Risko, E. F., & Gilbert, S. J. (2016). Cognitive Offloading. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20(9), 676-688.