Reliance on AI reduces critical thinking skills, ability to perform tasks: study

Individuals who rely too much on artificial intelligence (AI) to perform certain tasks are reducing their critical thinking skills, according to a new study by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon.

The research focused on "knowledge workers," whose professions consist of problem-solving in some form. Over 300 workers were analyzed and the findings regarding the impact of AI were quite alarming.

The research discovered that AI can lead to the "deterioration of cognitive faculties that ought to be preserved."

"A key automation is that by mechanizing routine tasks and leaving exception-handling to the human user, you deprive the user of the routine opportunities to practice their judgment and strengthen their cognitive musculature, leaving them atrophied and unprepared when the exceptions do arise," the researchers wrote. "The data shows a shift in cognitive efforts as knowledge workers increasingly move from task execution to oversight when using GenAI. Surprisingly, while AI can improve efficiency, it may also reduce critical engagement, particularly in routine or lower-stakes tasks in which users simply rely on AI, raising concerns about long-term reliance and diminished independent problem-solving."

The professionals surveyed were each asked to provide three real-world examples of when they used AI tools at work and how much critical thinking they engaged in the process of completing those tasks. This included social workers and individuals who write code for a living. The researchers were provided with over 900 examples of AI use in the workplace.

The results found that individuals who were more confident in the AI tools' accuracy exhibited a decrease in their critical thinking, whereas those who were less confident in the technology used a greater amount of critical thinking skills.

The loss of critical thinking skills has been shown in "many domains, from self-driving cars to scrutinizing news articles produced by AI," Futurism reported.