Brain versus chatbot.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a regular part of our everyday lives — from virtual assistants that answer our questions to apps that help us write, calculate, or plan. For students and professionals alike, AI offers an amazing range of tools to help us work faster and smarter. But as we rely more on these technologies, an important question comes up: are we still thinking for ourselves?
Two recent studies shed light on this question, and the results are eye-opening. They suggest that while AI can be incredibly useful, over-reliance on these tools might be weakening our ability to think critically — a skill we desperately need now more than ever.
AI as a Thinking Shortcut
Let’s be honest: why struggle with a hard question when ChatGPT or Google can give you the answer in seconds? That’s the core of what researchers call cognitive offloading — letting machines do the mental heavy lifting for us. It’s like using a calculator for every math problem or relying on GPS instead of learning directions.
In a study led by Michael Gerlich (2025), 666 people of different ages and education levels were surveyed to see how their use of AI tools related to their critical thinking skills. The result? The more people used AI to solve problems or find information, the worse they scored on critical thinking tests — especially younger users. People who relied on AI the most also showed the least confidence in their ability to analyze or evaluate information on their own.
AI Dialogue Systems: Helpful or Harmful?
Another study, this one by Chunpeng Zhai and his team (2024), took a deep dive into how AI chatbots — the kind used to help students write essays, answer questions, or generate ideas — are affecting learning and thinking. Their review of 14 major research papers found that students who rely heavily on these tools are less likely to think deeply, ask questions, or check whether the AI’s answers are even accurate.
And here's the problem: AI doesn’t always get it right. It can make things up ("AI hallucinations"), show bias, or present information in a way that looks polished but is actually wrong. But because it sounds convincing, many people accept the output without double-checking — and that can lead to real misunderstandings or even academic dishonesty.
Why Critical Thinking Still Matters
Critical thinking is more than just knowing facts. It’s about asking, “Is this true?” or “What’s the evidence?” or “Could there be another explanation?” In a world flooded with information — much of it generated by machines — we need these skills to separate truth from fiction, to make smart decisions, and to be informed citizens.
But when we get used to AI doing the thinking for us, we risk losing those mental muscles. Just like we get physically weaker when we stop exercising, we get mentally lazier when we stop challenging our own thoughts. AI might give us fast answers, but it’s our job to know which answers to trust.
What Does This Mean for the Future of Society?
Here’s where things get serious. As AI keeps getting better — more accurate, more persuasive, more human-like — it will become even easier to trust it blindly. Why bother learning how to write a good argument or analyze a news article when a chatbot can do it for you?
The risk is that we slowly become a society of passive consumers of machine-generated content, losing touch with the skills that built our modern world: reasoning, questioning, problem-solving. If we don’t actively work to preserve and teach those abilities, especially to younger generations, we could face a future where a small group of people controls the technology — and the rest of us are simply following instructions without really understanding the “why” behind them.
That kind of imbalance would not only widen the gap between the tech-savvy and the tech-dependent but could also weaken democracy, education, and innovation — all of which rely on active, independent thinkers.
So, What Can We Do?
It’s not about banning AI or pretending it doesn’t exist. AI is here to stay, and it can be a fantastic tool. The real challenge is learning to use it without losing ourselves in the process.
Educators, parents, and even designers of AI tools need to ask: how can we encourage users to think more, not less? Can we build AI systems that support learning instead of replacing it? And can schools focus more on teaching students how to think — not just what to think?
If we get this right, AI can be a powerful partner in learning and creativity. But if we get it wrong, we risk turning one of the greatest inventions of our time into a crutch that quietly robs us of our most important human skill: the ability to think critically.
References
Gerlich, M. (2025). AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking. Societies, 15(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15010006
Zhai, C., Wibowo, S., & Li, L. D. (2024). The effects of over-reliance on AI dialogue systems on students' cognitive abilities: a systematic review. Smart Learning Environments, 11(28). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00316-7