GPT-4o boosts grades by 1 point, but does it improve learning?

a randomized experiment with 1,053 freshmen at bocconi university found that gpt-4o helped students earn significantly better grades on a business assignment, with scores nearly a full point higher on a 1-to-5 scale. the ai tool also resulted in answers with more ideas, logical coherence, and closer matches to expert recommendations. however, a short lesson on causal reasoning didn't raise traditional scores, but encouraged more diverse and unusual solutions. the study raises questions about whether ai use improves actual learning, as there was no follow-up test without chatgpt.