A neuroscientist who spent a decade tracking adolescent brain development will lead a new 100-year research initiative. Dr. Gayathri Dowling joined the American Institutes for Research to head the AI Century Study, which tracks how artificial intelligence influences child development and education. The project aims to provide families and policymakers with long-term data on how digital tools alter learning.
What Happened
Dr. Dowling previously directed the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of child health and brain development in the United States. The $500 million project tracked nearly 12,000 children to understand how biological and behavioral factors shape growth.
She will apply her research experience to the AI Century Study, which the American Institutes for Research (AIR) launched in March 2026. This observational study will not alter how children use technology. Instead, researchers will use surveys, interviews, and school records to follow multiple generations growing up alongside AI.
The Bigger Picture
Data from the ABCD Study shows how tracking helps explain technology use. Recent analyses show that screen time is not a single, uniform activity. For example, a study by National Cheng Kung University analyzed 8,979 preadolescents and found that while watching television and using social media led to increased irritability, active online chatting predicted decreases in irritability over time.
A two-year longitudinal analysis published in Exa Library found that problematic social media use decreased adolescent sleep, yet problematic phone use was linked to sleep increases. The researchers found no connection between screen use and declines in attentional control, which challenges the common fear that devices permanently ruin attention spans.
Generative AI raises other cognitive questions. A systematic review published in Frontiers in Psychology warns of "cognitive offloading," where AI tools substitute for learning instead of supporting it. While generative AI can boost immediate task completion and student engagement, it does not guarantee long-term knowledge retention. Another Frontiers in Psychology scoping review notes that while AI can support creative writing and divergent thinking, the existing evidence remains provisional and small-scale.
What This Means for Families
For parents and educators, technology's impact depends on how children use it. Passive consumption and poorly managed AI tools can lead to irritability and bypass critical thinking. Interactive digital communication and guided AI tools can support social connection and creative development.
As we previously reported, understanding how digital classroom tools like Formative map to long-term success requires analysis of student performance data. The AI Century Study aims to track these trends, but families also face concerns about data privacy. Research in Nature Health indicates that public data sharing poses privacy challenges, and language models can memorize and leak personal histories over time.
What You Can Do
- Encourage active, social digital behaviors like collaborative coding or online chatting rather than setting strict hourly limits on screen time.
- Monitor whether your child uses generative AI as an active study partner to explain concepts or as a shortcut to bypass writing and problem-solving.
- Review privacy policies on educational and recreational AI apps to limit how much personal data companies store or share.