AI is Destroying Critical Thinking of People

Starblazer

Starblazer

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Nowadays, kids and even adults are resorting to AI for even small tasks. I used to ignore it but I started to notice that this behavior is common. For example, if they want to check the date of exam results, they are checking AI overviews, which are filled with News articles that announce that results are out even before the date is announced. They do it because it gets them more clicks. Being a marketer, I instantly notice it but next generation is not aware of it. When they want to know which shoes are more comfortable, they are asking chatgpt instead of checking reviews on Amazon and other e-com sites. Again, chatgpt is influenced by Reddit marketing that pushes some brands through fake accounts. When they want to follow a diet, they are asking AI tools instead of checking ingredients & health benefits. There are tens of diets proposed by random people with their own cult religiously following it. So, obviously AI won't discredit them.

I'm not against AI, in fact I use it for half of my work. But we should know when to trust a tool and when to find an alternative. The next generation will start digging a pond with a table spoon if AI advises them to. AI lacks critical thinking and they are losing it too.
 
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every generation has its own challenge. some grew up during wars some during the industrial revolution some during the internet boom and now we're growing up in the ai era. technology keeps changing but people still have to learn how to use it without becoming dependent on it. the people who adapt usually find opportunities. the ones who don't often complain that it's unfair. history repeats itself.
 
That's what it is supposed to do imo.


People are focused on complaining about billionaires while wanting the machines that will make them dumber.


I
 
"the person who reads a great deal ... gradually loses the ability to think for himself" - Arthur Schopenhauer, speaking of books, 1851

"There is now very little danger that Americans will resort to the vice of thinking." - Jack Woodford, speaking of radio, 1929
 
AI was the last thing kids needed but at the same time it helps me and a lot of other IMers too.
 
I can already imagine kids just repeating like parrots what AI said, no source, no critical thinking, no other side, just repeating what their biased AI taught...and this bias is determined by people with very questionable goals and beliefs
 
AI hallucinate alot even recipes are getting corrupted by ai overviews and people trust it
 
It was happening long before that. Smart phone started the process. Ai has accelerated it.
 
AI is a great tool, but it shouldn't replace critical thinking. I use it every day as well, but I still verify important information with original sources, especially for health, legal, or financial topics. The biggest skill going forward won't be knowing how to use AI, it's knowing when its answer needs to be questioned.
 
StormCloud said:
AI is a great tool, but it shouldn't replace critical thinking. I use it every day as well, but I still verify important information with original sources, especially for health, legal, or financial topics. The biggest skill going forward won't be knowing how to use AI, it's knowing when its answer needs to be questioned.
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Recipes too you getting Frankenstein recipes from AI overviews ai is mixing ingredients from different sources
 
Exactly. The real danger is people treating AI like an oracle instead of a search engine that can be wrongg. :]
 
I’m at work and I’m replying to emails which I know clearly AI generated I feel like I’m not even talking to a real person
 
Those quotes are a fair pushback @Stavro but I think there's a diff this time. Books and radio still handed you raw info, you had to actually read it and draw your own conclusion. AI hands you the conclusion pre chewed. The friction that used to force people to think is just... gone.

Also the part @Starblazer mentioned about reddit shaping what chatgpt spits out is the scary bit imo. Its not just that people trust the machine, its that we know exactly how to manipulate what the machine says. Half of us here could probably seed a narrative into those answers if we wanted, and the kid asking about shoes has no idea any of that happened.

So yeah every gen has its thing, but the panic being old doesnt automatically mean the worry is wrong. Sometimes the boy actually does see a wolf.
 
Starblazer said:
Nowadays, kids and even adults are resorting to AI for even small tasks. I used to ignore it but I started to notice that this behavior is common. For example, if they want to check the date of exam results, they are checking AI overviews, which are filled with News articles that announce that results are out even before the date is announced. They do it because it gets them more clicks. Being a marketer, I instantly notice it but next generation is not aware of it. When they want to know which shoes are more comfortable, they are asking chatgpt instead of checking reviews on Amazon and other e-com sites. Again, chatgpt is influenced by Reddit marketing that pushes some brands through fake accounts. When they want to follow a diet, they are asking AI tools instead of checking ingredients & health benefits. There are tens of diets proposed by random people with their own cult religiously following it. So, obviously AI won't discredit them.

I'm not against AI, in fact I use it for half of my work. But we should know when to trust a tool and when to find an alternative. The next generation will start digging a pond with a table spoon if AI advises them to. AI lacks critical thinking and they are losing it too.
Click to expand...
I truly agree with you Ai is a great tool for saving time but it shouldnt be the only source for important decisions.
The best approach is to use AI for ideas and then verify the information with trusted sources reviews or experts thats the best way to use it in mu opinion.
digital skills today are not just about using AI theyre about knowing when to question its answers and doublecheck the facts.
 
AI isn't destroying critical thinking it's changing how people access information The real issue is using AI as the final answer instead of the starting point. Just like search engines required people to learn source evaluation AI requires users to verify information compare sources, and think independently AI is a powerful assistant, not a replacement for human judgment
 
Stavro said:
"the person who reads a great deal ... gradually loses the ability to think for himself" - Arthur Schopenhauer, speaking of books, 1851

"There is now very little danger that Americans will resort to the vice of thinking." - Jack Woodford, speaking of radio, 1929
Click to expand...
That's a great argument. Many technological developments triggered a similar panic - radios, TVs, computers, video game consoles, smartphones, and the list goes on. The major difference I see is that almost everyone of them wastes time and that's the root cause of panic. Books, radios, and TVs cause overindulgence to the extent that people stop caring about what's happening in the world. Video games restrict kids to the house that they don't play outside. Computers take away our jobs. Smartphones are all-in-one devices that keep us hooked for everything. However, all of them are tools but not answer machines. The illusion that an answer machine is always giving us facts will result in more damage. There'll be more scams in the future as people can easily manipulate (or find a way to do so) these answer machines and spread misinformation.
 
Starblazer said:
That's a great argument. Many technological developments triggered a similar panic - radios, TVs, computers, video game consoles, smartphones, and the list goes on. The major difference I see is that almost everyone of them wastes time and that's the root cause of panic. Books, radios, and TVs cause overindulgence to the extent that people stop caring about what's happening in the world. Video games restrict kids to the house that they don't play outside. Computers take away our jobs. Smartphones are all-in-one devices that keep us hooked for everything. However, all of them are tools but not answer machines. The illusion that an answer machine is always giving us facts will result in more damage. There'll be more scams in the future as people can easily manipulate (or find a way to do so) these answer machines and spread misinformation.
Click to expand...
I agree that media consumption can create a depressing apathy in people. It's more fun to go on the emotional roller coaster of an 8-hour Netflix binge than building a supportive, local community by talking to your neighbors.

I have browsed the clover site from an early age, and it's affected how I see media consumption. In particular, I think the anonymity of it sharpens your critical thinking skills. You can't use the authority of the poster as a shortcut if everyone is anonymous. So of course, I've seen very stupid posts on that site, and I've seen hilariously brilliant posts on that site. It taught me that no matter where a message came from, if you can evaluate its contents in context, you can determine how it fits into your point of view. I think AI short cuts this reflex, but I also believe it can still be taught for the greater good.

Obviously I consider AI to be a form of media consumption. The problem, as you point out, is that people don't see it that way.
 
StormCloud said:
AI is a great tool, but it shouldn't replace critical thinking. I use it every day as well, but I still verify important information with original sources, especially for health, legal, or financial topics. The biggest skill going forward won't be knowing how to use AI, it's knowing when its answer needs to be questioned.
Click to expand...
I also use it on a daily basis and what a lot of the new generation doesn't understand is that you cannot just take the responses it gives you at "face value" and then just copy and paste that response as your own. You actually need to read, push back to make sure information you are using is correct with proper context, and tailor what is being given to you because too many times have I gotten a response and realized that it contradicts what it is saying or adds fake information.
 
Starblazer said:
There'll be more scams in the future as people can easily manipulate (or find a way to do so) these answer machines and spread misinformation.
Click to expand...
Just like people manipulated newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV to spread misinformation and push an agenda.

The difference with AI is that the manipulation can be automated and scaled far more easily, but that's an acceleration of a problem that already existed, not something unique to AI.
Sudden Money said:
Those quotes are a fair pushback @Stavro but I think there's a diff this time. Books and radio still handed you raw info, you had to actually read it and draw your own conclusion. AI hands you the conclusion pre chewed. The friction that used to force people to think is just... gone.
Click to expand...
I'd argue that traditional media has always had a bias. Authors and editors decided what to include, what to leave out, and how to frame it.

AI adds a layer by tailoring that framing to the individual reader, but the underlying bias isn't new.
 
I agree with OP. I just had to withdraw an offer to a candidate because they deferred the entire negotiation to AI which caused them to backtrack on a previous commitment they had made, and doubled down once called out. The candidate had very obviously deferred all critical thought into the prompt "reply to this email to get me the highest amount of money" with each round of reply.
 
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