Actually, yes. I know you were making a point, but the study this pile of garbage article referenced actually did comparisons between people using an LLM, people using a search engine, and people using neither.

The study is a lot more reasonable. It basically says using an LLM to write a research paper on a subject makes you retain less of the subject matter.

They specifically mention the cognitive load of using the tool, be it search engine or LLM, and how that load doesn't contribute to knowledge retention.

Their research indicates "over usage" as opposed to "any usage" is bad for learning a subject.