Microsoft News conducted a study that proves that the use of AI reduces critical thinking skills. A survey of workers who use artificial intelligence found that the tools can slowly degrade our critical thinking skills writes LIVESCIENCE
Microsoft News conducted a study that proves that the use of AI reduces critical thinking skills. A survey of workers who use artificial intelligence found that the tools can slowly degrade our critical thinking skills writes LIVESCIENCE
Research conducted by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University among workers in business, education, the arts, administration, and computing found that AI tools are gaining more trust, but they can create dangerous content that goes unnoticed.
The researchers will present their findings at the CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing this month, and have also published a paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, on Microsoft’s website.
«Misuse of technology can lead to the deterioration of cognitive abilities that should be preserved,» the researchers write. The key irony of automation is that by mechanizing mundane tasks and leaving exception handling to the human user, you deprive the user of routine opportunities to reflect and strengthen their cognitive muscles, leaving them atrophied and unprepared when exceptions do arise.
The study involved 319 AI workers (professionals who create value through their expertise) through the crowdsourcing platform Prolific. The researchers found significant differences in how humans and AI think, and the implications could be significant. Respondents, whose job roles ranged from social work to programming, were asked to share three examples of how they used generative AI tools like ChatGPT in their work.
They were then asked whether they used critical thinking skills during each task and, if so, how they did so. They were also asked about the effort it would have taken to complete the task without AI and their confidence in the task. There was a sharp decline in the level of self-reported scrutiny of AI results: participants said they did not use critical thinking at all to complete 40% of their tasks.
It turns out that ChatGPT’s most frequent users are so used to the chatbot that time spent away from it can cause withdrawal symptoms. These problems are more noticeable in younger people, among whom AI is more prevalent.
This is not a new problem — the Google effect, whereby users transfer their knowledge to a search engine, has been observed for decades. Knowledge workers are increasingly moving from task completion to control over the use of GenAI,» the researchers write.
AI can increase efficiency, but it also reduces critical participation, especially in common, simple tasks where users simply rely on AI, raising concerns about long-term reliability and reduced self-solving.
