Only Critical Thinking Ensures AI Makes Us Smarter, Not Dumber

Forbes

21 hours ago

AI needs more human thinking, not less, but are we giving it the opposite?
We're entering a new era where artificial intelligence can generate content faster than we can apply critical thinking. In mere seconds, AI can summarize long reports, write emails in our tone and even generate strategic recommendations. But while these productivity gains are promising, there's an urgent question lurking beneath the surface: Are we thinking less because AI is doing more?
The very cognitive skills we need most in an AI-powered world are the ones that the tools may be weakening. When critical thinking takes a back seat, the consequences are almost comical—unless it's your company making headlines.
These real-world breakdowns show what can happen when critical thinking is absent.
As AI models get more advanced and powerful, they exhibit even higher rates of hallucinations, making human supervision even more critical. And yet, a March 2025 McKinsey study found that only 27% of organizations reported reviewing 100% of generative AI outputs. With so much of the focus on the technology itself, many organizations clearly don't yet understand the growing importance of human oversight.
Clarifying what critical thinking is
While most people agree that critical thinking is essential for evaluating AI, there's less agreement on what it actually means. The term is often used as a catch-all term for a wide range of analytical skills—from reasoning and logic to questioning and problem-solving—which can feel fuzzy or ambiguous.
At its core, critical thinking is both a mindset and a method. It's about questioning what we believe, examining how we think and applying tools such as evidence and logic to reach better conclusions.
I define critical thinking as the ability to evaluate information in a thoughtful and disciplined manner to make sound judgments instead of accepting things at face value.
As part of researching this article, I spoke with Fahed Bizzari, Managing Partner at Bellamy Alden AI Consulting, who helps organizations implement AI responsibly. He described the ideal mindset as 'a permanent state of cautiousness' where 'you have to perpetually be on your guard to take responsibility for its intelligence as well as your own.' This mindset of constant vigilance is essential, but it needs practical tools to make it work in daily practice.
The GPS Effect: What happens when we stop thinking
This need for vigilance is more urgent than ever. A troubling pattern has emerged where researchers are finding that frequent AI use is linked to declining critical thinking skills. In a recent MIT study, 54 participants were assigned to write essays using one of three approaches: their own knowledge ('brain only'), Google Search, or ChatGPT. The group that used the AI tool showed the lowest brain engagement, weakest memory recall and least satisfaction with their writing. This cognitive offloading produced essays that were homogeneous and 'soulless,' lacking originality, depth and critical engagement. Ironically, the very skills needed to assess AI output—like reasoning, judgment, and skepticism—are being eroded or suppressed by overreliance on the technology.
It's like your sense of direction slowly fading because you rely on GPS for every trip—even around your own neighborhood. When the GPS fails due to a system error or lost signal, you're left disoriented. The skill you once had has atrophied because you outsourced your navigation skills to the GPS.
Bizzari noted, 'AI multiplies your applied intelligence exponentially, but in doing so, it chisels away at your foundational intelligence. Everyone is celebrating the productivity gains today, but it will eventually become a huge problem.' His point underscores a deeper risk of overdependence on AI. We don't just make more mistakes—we lose our ability to catch them.
Why fast thinking isn't always smart thinking
We like to think we evaluate information rationally, but our brains aren't wired that way. As psychologist Daniel Kahneman explains, we tend to rely on System 1 thinking, which is fast, automatic and intuitive. It's efficient, but it comes with tradeoffs. We jump to conclusions and trust whatever sounds credible. We don't pause to dig deeper, which makes us especially susceptible to AI mistakes.
AI tools generate responses that are confident, polished and easy to accept. They give us what feels like a good answer—almost instantly and with minimal effort. Because it sounds authoritative, System 1 gives it a rubber stamp before we've even questioned it. That's where the danger lies.
To catch AI's blind spots, exaggerations or outright hallucinations, we must override that System 1 mental reflex. That means activating System 2 thinking, which is the slower, more deliberate mode of reasoning. It's the part of us that checks sources, tests assumptions and evaluates logic. If System 1 is what trips us up with AI, System 2 is what safeguards us.
The Critical Five: A framework for turning passengers into pilots
You can't safely scale AI without scaling critical thinking. Bizzari cautioned that if we drop our guard, AI will become the pilot—not the co-pilot—and we become unwitting passengers. As organizations become increasingly AI-driven, they can't afford to have more passengers than pilots. Everyone tasked with using AI—from analysts to executives—needs to actively guide decisions in their domains.
Fortunately, critical thinking can be learned, practiced and strengthened over time. But because our brains are wired for efficiency and favor fast, intuitive System 1 thinking, it's up to each of us to proactively engage System 2 to spot flawed logic, hidden biases and overconfident AI responses.
Here's how to put this into practice. I've created The Critical Five framework, which breaks critical thinking into five key components, each with both a mindset and a method perspective:
To make critical thinking less ambiguous, The Critical Five framework breaks it down into five key ... More components.
Just ASK: A quick AI check for busy minds
While these five skills provide a solid foundation for AI-related critical thinking, they don't operate in a vacuum. Just as pilots must adapt their approach based on weather conditions, aircraft type and destination, we must be able to adapt our critical thinking skills to fit different circumstances. Your focus and level of effort will be shaped by the following key factors:
Critical thinking doesn't happen in a vacuum. It is shaped by an individual's domain expertise, org ... More culture and time constraints.
Recognizing that many scenarios with AI output may not demand an in-depth review, I've developed a quick way of injecting critical thinking into daily AI usage. This is particularly important because, as Bizzari highlighted, "Current AI language models have been designed primarily with a focus on plausibility, not correctness. So, it can make the biggest lie on earth sound factual and convincing." To counter this exact problem, I created a simple framework anyone can apply in seconds. Just ASK:
For quick evaluations, focus on questioning the assumptions, sources and your objectivity.
To show this approach in action, I'll use an example where I've prompted an AI tool to provide a marketing strategy for my small business.
This quick evaluation could reveal potential blind spots that might otherwise turn promising AI recommendations into costly business mistakes, like a misguided marketing campaign.
The future of AI depends on human thinking
If more employees simply remember to 'always ASK before using AI output,' your organization can begin building a culture that actively safeguards against AI overreliance. Whether using the full Critical Five framework or quick ASK method, people transform from passive passengers into engaged pilots who actively steer how AI is used and trusted.
AI can enhance our thinking, but it should never replace it. Left unchecked, AI encourages shortcuts that lead to the costly mistakes we saw earlier. Used wisely, it becomes a powerful, strategic partner. This isn't about offloading cognition. It's about upgrading it—by pairing powerful tools with thoughtful, engaged minds.
In the end, AI's value won't come from removing us from the process—it will come from how disciplined we are in applying critical thinking to what it helps us generate.