Many people these days use AI to search for information online. However, using AI to search for things may produce "shallower knowledge," according to a new study. If you learn a lot about something and look at all the details, you should get a deep knowledge of the subject. But if you only get a shallow understanding of that subject, there is a lot you might have missed. And that's what you'll get if you use AI for your learning, according to researchers in the US. They did a number of different experiments that compared searches using Google and searches using AI. In one experiment, people were asked to research a subject. Some did their research using AI and others used Google. They were then asked to write about what they had learned. Afterward, the researchers asked people about their learning. They asked how deep their learning had been and whether they felt interested in what they'd learned. The people who did the research using AI said they felt less interested in the subject and that they had not learned in as much depth. They also said they put less effort into writing about the subject. In another experiment, people were asked to read one piece of advice written by someone who had done research using AI and another who had used Google. People did not know which advice they were reading, but said the texts written by people who had used AI were less helpful. The researchers said AI chatbots may be less useful for research if you want to learn how to actually do something. They said that might be because doing research by using different web links — and not an AI summary — makes searching an active activity, not a passive one. And this could help us learn more.