Today, artificial intelligence has become a handy tool. It helps us think faster and clearer in chaotic moments and often provides a sense of control in a chaotic digital world. For many people, AI tools such as ChatGPT, Grok, Perplexity and others are no longer optional aids but daily companions.There was a time when being stuck meant slowing down. The answers can only be found by looking through books, libraries, interviews/conversations and research. The process can often be frustrating, but it forces people to participate. People must independently conduct research, connect ideas, challenge assumptions, and draw conclusions. Critical thinking is not an optional skill that can be outsourced.Today, a prompt can generate an answer instantly. Tasks that once took hours now take just minutes. There is no denying that quantitative productivity has improved. But speed comes with a trade-off. When answers are readily available, there is less need to solve problems. However, it is in this struggle that critical thinking becomes sharper.
So, let’s take a deeper look at how AI can shape critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Application of artificial intelligence in the classroom
When we talk about artificial intelligence, we must start from the period when critical thinking develops – school age. At this point, children not only learn facts, but also how to ask questions, analyze, argue, and draw conclusions.For those from the pre-artificial intelligence era, going to school meant long hours reading textbooks, handwriting notes, calling classmates to do homework, and more recently, browsing the internet. The process can be frustrating at times, but it requires effort and thought.School age looks very different these days. A single prompt on ChatGPT, Meta AI or similar platforms can generate structured answers in seconds. Papers, abstracts, explanations of complex concepts – all are available almost instantly. The efficiency is undeniable. But the core question remains: If AI is thinking, are children still learning how to think?When used correctly, AI can act less like a shortcut and more like a mentor. It can explain difficult questions, simplify dense topics, generate practice questions, or provide feedback on writing structure. For students who are hesitant to ask questions in class, AI can provide a non-judgmental space to clarify doubts. In this sense, it may democratize access to academic support.Although there is a risk of passive consumption. When students copy answers without thinking, they may complete the assignment without grasping the underlying concepts.Tulika, a high school teacher in Georgia, USA, explained this. “When students turn to AI tools when they are struggling rather than independent study, I view it as a neutral tool whose impact depends entirely on student intent and instructor guidance. In my experience, AI does not eliminate critical thinking; rather, it exposes the divide between students who want to learn deeply and those who are content with average results,” she said.She further said that she also sees positives in the use of artificial intelligence as long as people remember to limit it to helping assistants.
As an Indian-American teacher in the United States, Tulikaa offers another perspective, coming from a different culture and finding AI helpful in understanding her students and the overall environment. Although she emphasized that “artificial intelligence tools such as MagicSchool, Nearpod, ChatGPT (including teacher-centered GPT), Perplexity, etc. support planning and idea generation, they cannot replace teaching understanding. AI-generated lessons are only effective if the teacher understands the standards, the students, and how to give clear, actionable instructions. Responsible use of AI has broadened my learning horizons, enhanced course design, and helped me direct instruction toward clearer learning goals. “From a teacher’s perspective, 13-year-old Mishika Gupta also shared the negative impacts of AI but wasn’t entirely convinced of its accuracy. Sharing her personal experience, she said: “Unlike most of my classmates, I don’t use AI to do or help me with homework because I feel I can’t trust it yet. I’ve seen it fail to give the correct answers many times. For example, I couldn’t understand my Spanish homework, asked for help, and found that the translation was incorrect.“She also sees the impact it has on her peers, adding: “I feel like AI is being misused by a lot of people my age. They use it every day for homework. Most of my classmates are so addicted to ChatGPT that they don’t even try to answer the questions, they just copy whatever it asks without even reading it. I feel like it stifles creativity in kids my age. Some of them actually chatted with it like it was their good friend. They share their feelings with it and ask it to solve their life problems.“Her mother, Dr. Shu Qi, also supports her daughter’s idea and hopes that she will maintain this belief. Contrasting her school days with today, she said: “AI tools have become an integral part of today’s young people’s lives. I see them using them not only as a tool to help with homework, but also as friends, mentors and confidants.”“I think the joy of sifting through multiple library books, magazines or research articles to research a topic is something the current generation will never experience. This process also allows us to broaden our worldview, understand a topic from different perspectives, and gain insight into the minds of subject matter experts. All the hard work put into this task ensured that we completed it with pride and a huge sense of satisfaction,” she added.When asked to give advice to her daughter about using artificial intelligence, she emphasized being aware of its limitations.
Meanwhile, another parent, Om Prakash Bhatia, has reservations about artificial intelligence, saying it is killing children’s creativity.
Therefore, the AI and homework debate is not black and white. Artificial intelligence can expand the scope of explanations, support struggling learners, and help educators improve teaching. At the same time, uncontrolled dependence can undermine efforts, undermine conceptual clarity, and can lead to erroneous conclusions in the absence of validation.Ultimately, the question is not whether AI will invade the classroom; It already has. The real challenge is not just teaching children how to use AI, but how much to use it.
Artificial Intelligence in Content Writing: Efficient or Superficial?
One of the areas where artificial intelligence is widely used is content writing. In newsrooms, PR offices, the publishing industry, the question remains: How can humans compete with machines that can generate content in seconds?Artificial intelligence has undoubtedly accelerated production. It can draft blogs, summarize reports, suggest titles, and even mimic tone of voice. But writing is more than just grammatically correct sentences. It touches on lived experience, subtext, cultural differences and emotional connections. While AI can simulate empathy and construct narrative arcs, it doesn’t feel urgency, sadness, irony, or joy; it fakes it.This becomes even bigger as AI moves from short-form content to long-form storytelling. From self-help manuals to novels, books are increasingly being drafted in part or entirely by artificial intelligence. The bigger question, therefore, is not whether AI can write books, but whether readers will value efficiency over originality, simulation over the human voice.Anuranjita Pathak, founder of Natals Publications, raised concerns about this. “I have been in this industry for over 6 years and have met many excellent writers and editors. The delivery time of content/novel has been greatly shortened. I know someone who spent 4 years writing a book – the depth of these 4 years cannot be written by artificial intelligence. So the original thought and critical depth must have declined.”Elaborating on her stance, she added, “Now people are using AI to brainstorm – ‘give me 5 plot twists’, ‘write a table of contents for an HRMS book’.”She shares her frustrations when dealing with AI writings and talks about how non-AI writings can have depth and complexity.
Can we trust artificial intelligence?
In reality, the AI still tends to refer to Donald Trump as “former president” and make up its own citations when asked for research, and accuracy is an issue.There are many examples of AI making up its own information or distorting facts. One example from Deloitte even made headlines when a report was discovered to have been produced using artificial intelligence.last year, Deloitte faces controversy Scrutiny is growing over the Australian government’s use of generative artificial intelligence in preparing the document after errors were discovered in a report, including falsified references and incorrect court citations. After the incident came to light, Deloitte agreed to provide a partial refund to the Australian federal government and released a revised version of the report that corrected the inaccuracies.Therefore, it becomes important to reiterate that AI has the ability to override our logical brains and lull humans into a false state of safety until it is caught or becomes too robotic to connect with humans.
The story of artificial intelligence
Since we’re talking about artificial intelligence, it’s also important to hear what the robots have to say.So let’s see if ChatGPT, perplexity, Grok and Meta AI believe “Is AI making us dumber and killing our critical thinking?
- ChatGPT: Commonly used bots also highlight an important aspect of the discussion, which is that AI itself is not important, but how it is used determines whether it will have an impact human mind. “It’s a tool – it can be a brain booster or a crutch,” it says.
- Grok: Grok is adamant that “AI is not inherently ‘making us dumber’ or ‘killing’ critical thinking in some irreversible, pervasive way.” However, this also draws attention to the way in which core questions are used in decisions. It also cites some research (unsubstantiated; used only for context in this article) to explain its stance.
- Confusion: Confusion also gives a balanced view. Like the others, it lists pros and cons. “AI can weaken critical thinking if we outsource too much of our thinking to it, but if used intentionally it can also enhance critical thinking rather than ‘make us dumber’,” it said, citing various sources (not confirmed and used only in the context of this article)
- Meta AI: It doesn’t give a clear answer, but it gives different perspectives, pointing out both sides of the argument, while also highlighting the intent and usage that will really determine whether AI makes us dumber. “There may be risks if we let it do all the heavy lifting without using our own minds. But if we use it as a tool to enhance our abilities, challenge our assumptions, and explore new ideas, it can actually make us sharper!” it says.
Allies or obstacles; the choice is ours
Looking at the insights from humans and robots, it’s clear that AI will have an impact on the human mind beyond just the use of AI. In fact, it depends on how we choose to use it. By itself, it is a neutral tool.If you rely blindly on it, you risk stifling creativity, problem-solving, and independent thinking.On the other hand, if used responsibly, AI can enhance human intelligence. It can help organize ideas, provide new perspectives, simplify complex concepts, and inspire creative solutions that we may not have considered on our own.
The key is balance, treating AI as a helper rather than a substitute for the original idea, a partner rather than a substitute.In fact, we are not smarter or dumber because of AI, but because of how we choose to interact with it. We have the opportunity to think, think, and decide: do we let it think for us, or do we let it help us become smarter? The answers will shape the future of learning and creativity in an AI-driven world.
