A new science teacher came in our class and taught us physics. After one week he said,“I really enjoyed to teach you because all of you just remain silent, I teach you whatever, you people does not ask any questions, otherwise in my previous school, the students ask questions like how this is possible, why this happens and so on. All of that had made teaching tough for me.”
When I researched this topic that does AI kill or develop critical thinking in students then that day of the class came into my mind and makes it easy for me to relate this with Newzoogle’s today’s question that does AI kill or develop critical thinking in students? You know after completing my research on this topic, I had also asked that question that does AI kill or develop critical thinking in students to ChatGPT. And you know what Chat GPT has responded, it clearly states that it depend on how AI is being used:
“blind acceptance weakens critical thinking, while thoughtful questioning and verification strengthen it.”
Along with the team of a lot of worldwide researchers, Newzoogle also agrees that ChatGPT’s answer in regard to our question that does AI kill or develop critical thinking in students? is considered the gist of every research that Newzoogle had made. Therefore, Newzoogle suggests that:
“Students should use AI just as a tool as a calculator. Both solve problems in less efforts but cannot replace the actual human intelligence. Getting high marks in math via calculator and writing a polished piece of paper via AI may award you with good grades but actively using your brain while using these tools can award you with a real future success.”
Here I will also like to share that while researching this topic that AI kills or develop critical thinking in students, me and my colleague was so much excited to meet a lot of data on AI that well demonstrate, how AI kills or develop critical thinking in students but you know what happened at the evening. Actually my colleague spend more time on AI to collect information about how AI kills or develop critical thinking in students. He said that accidently a lot of oil was spilled on the floor by him at that evening and that at that time, he just want AI to remove the oil or give him tips to quickly get-rid of that mess. But there was no AI at that time. At that time it is his brain that starts to make connections and instruct him to use this or that to flawlessly clean the floor.
The reason of sharing this story is that excessive use and over-reliance on AI can create a psychological burden on students or in other words AI cannot give a bright future to a student until he/she is trained about how to use AI in a wise way. No doubt, probably students may get good grades in class but with poor brain connectivity all is in vain. All of this situation has given birth to Newzoogle’s question that does AI kill or develop critical thinking in students, as Johann Chevalere a researcher of cognitive psychology has said, “If there are activities you never do, the brain… won’t go to the trouble of maintaining connections”.
To put more light on the issue that does AI kill or develop critical thinking in students, a neuroscience professor, Adam Green has also shown his concern that instead of thinking about anything now we had handover “this job to AI” and “skip the brain workout”. And as a result the brain’s creative muscles and connection making abilities getting disturbed.
In regard to explore the topic that how AI kills or develop critical thinking in students, Adam Green’s next statement is very much important as it states that”AI is tricking us in a number of ways to make us think that it is actually making us more creative.”
Yes, AI provides more opportunities to explore the world. Instead of relying on one text book, AI also lets students to go in depth, ask valuable questions, verify the details, brain storm ideas, see imagination in front of your eyes, quickly get feedback, correct your mistakes, know more via follow-up questions and much more. If all of this will be done under a well-trained atmosphere then AI will be proved as the best learning partner and as a must have tutor.
According to Pew Research Center 50% US teens look satisfied with AI as it helped them in their homework. While searching that does AI kill or develop critical thinking in students, Oxford University press also presented a report that 15 % UK students said that with AI they can quickly get new ideas related to any work.
But if students will blindly use AI like, only to get and copy answers, just do a superficial search, do not involve their brain in deep understanding. Just accept whatever AI said without any questioning, without any verification and without evaluating evidence can lead towards low analytical skills, poor logical reasoning and weak judgements.
To know the facts that does AI kill or develop critical thinking in students, RAND Corporation has also done a survey and found that 70 % of college students are worried that “AI was eroding their critical thinking”, 62% of UK students and 34% of US teens also said that overreliance on AI has poorly effected their creativity and critical thinking. This unsatisfaction is also noted in a UNESCO research:
“Learning, reflecting, and thinking also mean growing as a human being, cultivating curiosity, sociability and critical thinking. And no machine, no matter how powerful, can claim to fulfill all of these roles.”
The loss of critical thinking in students especially in brilliant students is considered the biggest loss in developing a prosperous country. Students especially the brilliant students are considered the cream of a nation therefore not only the students but the critics, researchers, educators and experts are also very much concerned to know that does AI kill or develop critical thinking in students, as Michael Gerlich an expert researcher has said:
“Ultimately, the choice rests with each individual: whether to take the convenient route of allowing AI to handle our critical thinking, or to preserve this essential cognitive process for ourselves.”
According to Newzoogle, a paradoxical situation seems to be created just because of the unguided use of AI. Teachers and students should play their role to allow AI to kill or develop critical thinking in them. For example, students should “think first” and then use AI for brain storming, improving and evaluating their ideas. The most important thing is to check from your books, internet or other sources that whether AI provided you the right, wrong or biased information. In order to check whether AI kills or develop critical thinking in students, teachers should take oral, challenging, thought provoking and cross-questioning tests to check whether the students understand the topic deeply or just superficially skim the details.
So, to conclude that does AI kill or develop critical thinking in students, my findings say that AI does not kill or develop critical thinking in students. It stimulates to ask questions. The most widely used is the ChatGPT and there is clearly written “ChatGPT can make mistakes”. So, it itself calls you to “reflect”. Not to rely on it. You should verify whatever it said. Take it just as a scaffold, actively climb from one thought to another, follow your brains instruction, side by side check whether the tool provide you the right information or not. All of this will develop a habit in you to think critically or to boost your thinking powers in a best way. Therefore, you cannot say that someone who is spending much time on AI can become successful but the success is promised to that person who thinks the best when using AI tools.
What do you think that AI kills or develop critical thinking in students? Share in comments.
