per recently published Microsoft study:

The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers.

The rise of Generative AI (GenAI) in knowledge workflows raises questions about its impact on critical thinking skills and practices. We survey 319 knowledge workers to investigate 1) when and how they perceive the enaction of critical thinking when using GenAI, and 2) when and why GenAI affects their effort to do so. Participants shared 936 first-hand examples of using GenAI in work tasks. Quantitatively, when considering both task- and user-specific factors, a user’s task-specific self-confidence and confidence in GenAI are predictive of whether critical thinking is enacted and the effort of doing so in GenAI-assisted tasks. Specifically, higher confidence in GenAI is associated with less critical thinking, while higher self-confidence is associated with more critical thinking. Qualitatively, GenAI shifts the nature of critical thinking toward information verification, response integration, and task stewardship. Our insights reveal new design challenges and opportunities for developing GenAI tools for knowledge work.

entire study at:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/res...e-effects-from-a-survey-of-knowledge-workers/

I had to force reload it a couple of times before It would show up. 502 gateway errors, but I vpn'd in from Norway...don't know if that had any effect on it..

 

I steer clear of anything with the acronym "AI" attached to it. Simply because what they are calling "AI" is really just self propelled kiosks of amassed internet junk and flotsam. Since we all know (or should know by now) that the "internet" is a product of human "intelligence", and that this so-called "AI" can never be more than the sum of what the "internet" has to offer, you can deduct that there is a great deal of pure shit thrown at those "AI" walls that sticks. Therefore, when looking to find information, I find it more productive to simply use a search engine and use my own brain to sift thru a few results and find what is pertinent than to rely on a self propelled shit gathering tool that will maybe 50% of the time spew forth nonsense from those shit stained walls.

 

One does not need a study
To logically extrapolate
That anything that stiffles
The use of one's mind
......stiffles one's mind

 

I can't download the pdf, maybe you can answer some questions if you have.

Would people prone to relinquishing critical thinking to GenAi also be likely to do so when presented by a hyper-confident human or another authoritative source?
Conversely, would those who understand the inherent flaws of the technology and maintain their critical thinking through scepticism and information verification actually be able to improve their critical thinking skills while also leveraging the productivity benefits of GenAi systems?

These are valid concerns, and I'm glad they're being researched and discussed. However, I would assert that the resurgence and utilisation of populism and demagoguery are having a far greater impact on the general public's critical thinking skills than anything happening with current iterations of so called "AI".

 

Ooo! Pictures please !

 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/res...5/01/lee_2025_ai_critical_thinking_survey.pdf

direct link to pdf...

 

ai is a tool that can promote "populism and demagoguery" under the guise of human authority or even friendly chatbots.

Think of it as an amplifier, that goes to 11..

 

lets face it most people's attention span has been reduced to 40 characters or 40 seconds, whichever comes first. An AI faces almost no resistance to anyone younger than 35, they have no natural defenses, they have been immersed in the internet since birth. They think its "normal".

AI is a cheatcode for life... the question though really is....

"Who is cheating whom?"