How ChatGPT and Copilot May Hurt Your Critical Thinking Skills and How to Fix It

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Artificial intelligence is helping us code, write, and work faster than ever before, but new research suggests that speed might come at the cost of our brainpower. Tools like ChatGPT and Copilot have become everyday sidekicks since 2022, but studies show that students who use them too often perform worse on real tests. Experts warn that relying on AI for answers can weaken problem-solving skills and make our minds less agile over time. This isn't just a student problem, research shows AI may also dull critical thinking in the workplace by automating tasks that once sharpened judgment. One engineer realized how dependent he’d become on AI when he struggled to code during an internet outage. Experts say that while AI tools are powerful, they should support our thinking, not replace it.

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00:00Artificial intelligence is helping us code, write, and even think faster than ever before,

00:04but a new wave of research says we might be losing something way more important in return.

00:10Reports state back in 2022, tools like ChatGPT and Copilot burst onto the scene,

00:16instantly becoming the go-to sidekick for everything from emails to essays.

00:21Flash forward to today, over half of Americans have used some form of AI,

00:25but experts say that the convenience may be coming at a brain-shrinking cost.

00:29According to the Hedginger report, students who use ChatGPT as a study assistant do worse on tests.

00:35Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that while Turkish high school students using ChatGPT solve more practical problems,

00:43they perform 17% worse on actual math tests than students who did not have access to AI,

00:49explaining students are using ChatGPT as a crutch, relying on it for answers instead of developing problem-solving skills through their own effort.

00:58Similarly, for working individuals, Entrepreneur reports, a study from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon

01:04found that while AI could make workplace more efficient, it could also lead us to less critical engagement.

01:09The researchers noted that the automation ironically weakens human judgment by removing routine tasks that help build mental skills,

01:16leaving people unprepared when unexpected challenges come up.

01:20And according to Salon, Cohen Van Bell, a test automation engineer, realized how reliant he'd become on AI tools like Copilot when the internet went down,

01:30leaving him struggling to recall the basic coding syntax he once knew from years of experience.

01:35Kanaka Rajan, a computational neuroscientist at Harvard, says AI tools are so powerful that they're actually reshaping the information our brains take in,

01:44explaining, in some sense, they're changing the input streams to the networks that live in our brains.

01:50And to help people maintain their critical thinking skills while using AI, the Negotiation Club recommends five simple actions,

01:57such as practicing critical thinking daily and setting aside time to read, brainstorm, or write without any AI assistance.

02:04Noting, AI should support your thinking, not replace it, using it for brainstorming ideas, not making decisions for you.

02:12So basically, AI is amazing, but we shouldn't be letting it do all the thinking for us.

02:17But what's your take?

02:18Share your thoughts below and follow us everywhere at What's Trending.

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