Keywords
Neuroplasticity
Cognitive Adaptation
Cognitive Load
Attentional Control
Decision Reliance
Cognitive Offloading
How to Cite
Abstract
Automation systems that use artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and algorithmic decision-making are now transforming human activities, impacting mental processes, learning methods, and decision-making abilities. Research studies have mainly studied productivity and efficiency, but scientists have not yet studied how automation reshapes human brain functions and neural plasticity. The research follows PRISMA guidelines to perform a systematic review of interdisciplinary studies which combine neuroscience with cognitive psychology and human–AI interaction research from 2010 to 2025. The review investigates how prolonged automation work affects human brain activity, which produces mental workload and changes how people focus their attention and make decisions that affect their brain adaptation process. The research shows two separate paths which automation follows to help people learn and solve problems and develop neuroplasticity through active mental involvement, but its excessive use results in mental delegation which causes decreased focus and wrong behavioral responses. The research presents a new conceptual framework which identifies automation as a cognitive environment instead of its traditional role as a productivity enhancement tool. The research connects automation with brain plasticity through cognitive adaptation, which produces theoretical advancements and practical recommendations for educational settings and cognitive rehabilitation programs and human-centered AI system development that support ongoing cognitive growth.
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