A Study was recently published highlighting impact of AI on critical thinking (link at the bottom). Here is our reflection on the findings.
The Impact of Automation At Home
Scenario: It’s 10 P.M. on a Saturday. You’re grinding out your 3rd episode of Law and Order: SVU.
Your streaming service cuts to commercial. ...did you just get antsy? “I thought commercials were going away with streaming!!!”
The episode closes out, Ice-T says his final one-liner. The credits being to roll. You have five seconds to click the “skip to next episode” button. Do you wait those agonizing five seconds before clicking “skip”? Do you let those precious seconds waste away?
The obvious answer is you frantically find the remote and press skip.
Our tolerance for anything inefficient is disappearing… everything needs to be faster, easier, and automated.
Reflecting on the Study
This same impatience seems to shape how we approach problems. This study on AI and critical thinking found that many professionals are increasingly turning to AI for answers before trying to work through challenges themselves. And while AI can be a great guide, it is also making us less willing, or even less able, to think critically.
The Automation Crutch
We've entered the era of running things by AI first. I mean, why wouldn’t you? Need to troubleshoot an issue? AI has a suggestion. Writing an email? AI will draft it. Stuck on an idea? AI can brainstorm for you.
It’s efficient, but here’s the catch: the study found that when people had more confidence in AI, they engaged in less critical thinking. Conversely, those who trusted their own abilities were more likely to analyze, verify, and refine AI’s suggestions.
This raises an important question: what happens when AI gets it wrong, and you don’t know how to double-check it?
When AI Stops Being Helpful
Imagine you’re mid-task, fully relying on AI, and then, technology fails. You had a great model, tried to tweak it another degree, it takes a giant step back, and now you can’t get back to the working model. Unhelpful automated suggestions, sluggish responses… now what?
If we outsource too much thinking to AI, do we risk losing the ability to problem-solve when it matters most?
Finding the Balance
AI is a tool, not a replacement for thinking. Instead of blind reliance, we should treat it as an assistant that enhances, not replaces, our judgment. Here’s how:
- Ask AI, but verify the answer. Treat it as a first draft, not the final say. A wise man at Wilqo once said "it let's you operate in edit mode, but don't forget to edit."
- Keep your problem-solving skills sharp. Challenge yourself to complete tasks without AI sometimes. Treat it as your boss at your first job. Did they hand-hold you through every single problem you came across? Or did they challenge you to figure things out on your own? Which way made you grow?
- Be mindful of how AI influences your decisions. Are you using it to think better, or just to avoid thinking?
Technology should make us more efficient, not less capable. So, the next time you go use AI, ask yourself, am I still in control, or am I just clicking "skip" on my own ability to think?
Or, for those who have seen the movie Click, remember what happens when you press “fast forward” too many times.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/lee_2025_ai_critical_thinking_survey.pdf
