Currently, there is a growing interest in the use of artificial intelligence technologies, in particular, chatbots, in the educational process. Despite the active spread of these technologies, the question of their impact on cognitive processes remains insufficiently studied and contains many contradictions. The purpose of this study was to study the impact of using chatbots in the learning process on the development of students' short-term memory. The main research method was an experiment involving first-year students of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (N=55). Before and after the experiment, the diagnosis of the level of short-term memory was carried out using the technique of A.R. Luria. All participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. During the semester, the students of the first experimental group solved learning tasks using chatbots, followed by an analysis of the information received; the students of the second experimental group used chatbots superficially, without deep understanding of the information. The control group solved learning tasks without using artificial intelligence. According to the results of the study of short-term memory after the experiment, an increase in indicators was revealed in the first experimental and control groups, while no significant changes were detected in the second experimental group. At the same time, in the first experimental group, the final indicators of short-term memory were significantly higher than in the other two groups. The results indicate that only rational and meaningful use of chatbots contributes to cognitive development. This study contributes to understanding the impact of artificial intelligence on the cognitive development of students and lays the foundation for the development of scientifically sound recommendations for the integration of artificial intelligence into the educational process, contributing to the cognitive development of students.