A study by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University highlights a concerning trend: increased reliance on AI tools like ChatGPT can lead to a decline in critical thinking skills among workers. Researchers found that high confidence in AI's capabilities resulted in reduced personal engagement in critical thinking. The study involved 319 knowledge workers who commonly used AI, revealing that while they employed some critical thinking in interacting with AI, overreliance could atrophy crucial cognitive skills necessary for handling complex tasks.
"Used improperly, technologies can and do result in the deterioration of cognitive faculties that ought to be preserved. A key irony of 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 more confident human beings were in AI's abilities to get a task done, the fewer critical-thinking skills they used. Humans confident in AI left critical thinking to ChatGPT instead of doing it themselves and strengthening their cognitive abilities.
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