Microsoft Study Finds Relying on AI Kills Your Critical Thinking Skills
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So the study just checks how many people not yet learned how to properly use GenAI
I think there exists a curve from not trusting to overtrusting than back to not blindly trusting outputs (because you suffered consequences from blindly trusting)
And there will always be people blindly trusting bullshit, we have that longer than genAI. We have enough populists proving that you can tell many people just anything and they believe.
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I don’t think those people are still the majority in 20 years…
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Improving your critical thinking skills is a process that involves learning new techniques, practicing them regularly, and reflecting on your thought processes. Hereâ€
s a comprehensive approach:1. Build a Foundation in Logic and Reasoning
• Study basic logic: Familiarize yourself with formal and informal logic (e.g., learning about common fallacies, syllogisms, and deductive vs. inductive reasoning). This forms the groundwork for assessing arguments objectively.
• Learn structured methods: Books and online courses on critical thinking (such as Lewis Vaughnâ€
s texts) provide a systematic introduction to these concepts.2. Practice Socratic Questioning
• Ask open-ended questions: Challenge assumptions by repeatedly asking “why†and “how†to uncover underlying beliefs and evidence.
• Reflect on responses: This method helps you clarify your own reasoning and discover alternative viewpoints.
3. Engage in Reflective Practice
• Keep a journal: Write about decisions, problems, or debates youâ€
ve had. Reflect on what went well, where you might have been biased, and what could be improved.• Use structured reflection models: Approaches like Gibbsâ€
reflective cycle guide you through describing an experience, analyzing it, and planning improvements.4. Use Structured Frameworks
• Follow multi-step processes: For example, the Asana article “How to build your critical thinking skills in 7 steps†suggests: identify the problem, gather information, analyze data, consider alternatives, draw conclusions, communicate solutions, and then reflect on the process.
• Experiment with frameworks like Six Thinking Hats: This method helps you view issues from different angles (facts, emotions, positives, negatives, creativity, and process control) by “wearing†a different metaphorical hat for each perspective.
5. Read Widely and Critically
• Expose yourself to diverse perspectives: Reading quality journalism (e.g., The Economist, FT) or academic articles forces you to analyze arguments, recognize biases, and evaluate evidence.
• Practice lateral reading: Verify information by consulting multiple sources and questioning the credibility of each.
6. Participate in Discussions and Debates
• Engage with peers: Whether through formal debates, classroom discussions, or online forums, articulating your views and defending them against criticism deepens your reasoning.
• Embrace feedback: Learn to view criticism as an opportunity to refine your thought process rather than a personal attack.
7. Apply Critical Thinking to Real-World Problems
• Experiment in everyday scenarios: Use critical thinking when making decisions—such as planning your day, solving work problems, or evaluating news stories.
• Practice with “what-if†scenarios: This helps build your ability to foresee consequences and assess risks (as noted by Harvard Businessâ€
s discussion on avoiding the urgency trap).8. Develop a Habit of Continuous Learning
• Set aside regular “mental workout†time: Like scheduled exercise, devote time to tackling complex questions without distractions.
• Reflect on your biases and update your beliefs: Over time, becoming aware of and adjusting for your cognitive biases will improve your judgment.
By integrating these strategies into your daily routine, you can gradually sharpen your critical thinking abilities. Remember, the key is consistency and the willingness to challenge your own assumptions continually.
Happy thinking!
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Looking up the Vilvaladirt, I am guessing it is a group of Let's Players who do a Mystery Science Theater 3,000 take on their gameplay? If so, that would be neat.
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Oh you are actually trying to say that AI isn't a stain on existence. Weird.
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I felt it happen realtime everytime, I still use it for questions but ik im about to not be able to think crtically for the rest of the day, its a last resort if I cant find any info online or any response from discords/forums
Its still useful for coding imo, I still have to think critically, it just fills some tedious stuff in.
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It was hella useful for research in college and it made me think more because it kept giving me useful sources and telling me the context and where to find it, i still did the work and it actually took longer because I wouldnt commit to topics or keep adding more information. Just dont have it spit out your essay, it sucks at that, have it spit out topics and info on those topics with sources, then use that to build your work.
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Google used to be good, but this is far superior, I used bings chatgpt when I was in school idk whats good now (it only gave a paragraph max and included sources for each sentence)
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These guys. Greg the garlic farmer is their 4th wall breaking guy.
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I'm saying it is what it is.
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How did you manage to actually use bing gpt? I've tried like 20 times and it's wrong the majority of the time
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It worked for school stuff well, I always added "prioritize factual sources with .edu " or something like that. Specify that it is for a research paper and tell it to look for stuff how you would.
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To be fair, the web has become flooded with AI slop. Search engines have never been more useless. I've started using kagi and I'm trying to be more intentional about it but after a bit of searching it's often easier to just ask claude
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Only time I told it to be factual was looking at 4k laptops, it gave me 5 laptops, 4 marked as 4k, 0 of the 5 were actually 4k.
That was last year though so maybe it's improved by now
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Counterpoint - if you must rely on AI, you have to constantly exercise your critical thinking skills to parse through all its bullshit, or AI will eventually Darwin your ass when it tells you that bleach and ammonia make a lemon cleanser to die for.
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I wouldnt use it on current info like that only scraped data, like using it on history classes itll be useful, using it for sales right now definitely not
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Let me ask chatgpt what I think about this
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20 years? Do you know how much damage can be done in 20 years?
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