Is AI eroding our critical thinking?

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Jul 15, 2025

The podcast dives into the growing dependence on artificial intelligence and its potential impact on critical thinking. Studies suggest that using AI might cause cognitive laziness, affecting decision-making abilities. However, there's a debate over whether AI can actually enhance our learning experiences. The discussion touches on AI's role in education, enhancing student engagement, and the balance between using technology and maintaining mental agility. Experts share insights on how AI can aid teachers without sacrificing critical thinking skills.

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INSIGHT

Critical Thinking and Memory

Critical thinking happens when we face new problems with no memories of solutions.
Relying on memory saves effort but can limit discovering better methods.

INSIGHT

How AI Provides Answers

AI mimics human intelligence by predicting and analyzing word by word.
It can support confirmation bias and sometimes provides incorrect answers.

ADVICE

Balanced Use of AI

Use AI to handle repetitive tasks to improve efficiency.
Avoid over-relying on AI to preserve your own critical thinking.

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More and more of the tasks we perform in our daily lives are been guided by artificial intelligence, from searching the internet for answers to relying on satellite navigation in our cars. But studies recently released suggest that our use of AI is having a negative impact on our ability to make informed judgements and decisions. In one recent study from MiT’s Media Lab, a group of people were asked to write several essays. Some of them used AI, others didn’t. Those who used generative AI reportedly became lazier with each subsequent essay.

This cognitive offloading, allowing AI to take over from our brains might be less taxing, but there are concerns that if we come to rely on AI, we are in danger of replacing our own critical thinking for a technology that might not always come up with the right answer.

However, there are those who argue that AI can be beneficial in helping our cognitive function, that it can be employed to take on the more mundane, repetitive tasks, freeing up headspace to allow us to become more productive. Software education platforms are just one example where AI is been employed to assist teachers in things like knowledge checks and grading, with the claim that it allows them time for more valuable interaction with their students.

So is it possible to find a balance where we can we can rely on AI but not to the extent were we lose our mental agility. On this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking "Is AI eroding our critical thinking?’

Contributors: Dr. Daniel Willingham, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia, USA Dr. Michael Gerlich, Professor of Management, SBS Swiss Business School, Zurich, Switzerland Yvonne Soh, Co-founder and CEO, Noodle Factory, Singapore Sana Khareghani, Professor of Practice in AI, AI Policy Lead for Responsible AI UK Programme, King’s College, London

Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Maeve Schaffer Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Production Co-ordinator: Tammy Snow Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey