Policymakers and technologists must ensure that AI development aligns with human values—equity, justice, and empathy.
Critical thinking should guide every stage of AI design and deployment – Dr Mukul Chandra Bora
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become one of the most transformative and disruptive technological tools of the 21st century, reshaping the way humans live, learn, and work. Its area of operations not only starts from language processing and autonomous vehicles but also extends to decision-making tools in healthcare, education, and governance, and that is why AI has entered nearly every sphere of human life, as very recently the concept of an AI kitchen has also been in the picture now. However, as AI becomes increasingly sophisticated, an important question emerges: can AI and critical thinking coexist and complement each other? Or does the rise of AI threaten the development of human reasoning, creativity, and judgement?
Critical thinking—defined as the ability to evaluate information logically, identify biases, synthesise diverse perspectives, and make reasoned judgements—has long been considered a cornerstone of human intelligence. It is what enables individuals to make informed decisions, solve complex problems, and engage ethically with the world. Yet, in an era where AI can generate essays, solve equations, design art, and even simulate human conversation, there is growing concern that dependence on machine intelligence may erode the need for human critical thought.
This article explores whether AI and critical thinking can coexist synergistically rather than antagonistically and tries to examine the nature of both concepts, the potential challenges AI poses to critical thinking, and the opportunities for using AI as a tool to enhance rather than replace human reasoning. Based on the philosophical, educational, and technological perspectives, it is observed that AI and critical thinking not only can go together but also co-exist if humanity is prepared to harness technology responsibly.
Critical thinking has been defined in many ways, but at its core, it involves disciplined reasoning and the capacity to question assumptions. According to philosopher John Dewey, critical thinking is “reflective thought”, involving active, persistent, and careful consideration of a belief or supposed form of knowledge, considering the grounds that support it. In the same way, the Foundation for Critical Thinking defines it as “the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skilfully conceptualising, applying, analysing, synthesising, and evaluating information.”
Critical thinking requires self-awareness, open-mindedness, and the ability to engage in metacognition (awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes) – thinking about one’s own thinking, which is not simply accumulating information but about interrogating it. In education, critical thinking enables students to move beyond rote memorisation to independent analysis, and in professional life, it empowers individuals to make ethical and effective decisions amidst the uncertainty. At its core, critical thinking is deeply humane because it arises from values, emotions, and moral considerations that go beyond algorithmic reasoning.
Artificial intelligence refers to the capability of machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, and it includes perception, reasoning, learning, natural language understanding, and problem-solving. AI systems, especially those based on machine learning and deep neural networks, operate by identifying patterns in large datasets and using them to make predictions or generate outputs. The evolution of AI has passed through several stages: from early symbolic AI in the mid-20th century, which sought to encode human reasoning into explicit rules, to the modern era of data-driven AI that learns from experience. The modern AI tools such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, and AlphaFolddemonstrate how AI can simulate creativity, language, and scientific insight.
However, AI’s “intelligence” is fundamentally different from human intelligence, which is characterised by a lack of consciousness, intentionality, and ethical awareness. While it can analyse and reproduce human-like responses, it does not “understand” in the same way humans do, which is done through statistical reasoning rather than reflection, which predicts the most probable answer rather than questioning the meaning or truth of that answer, which is essential to make a distinction when examining whether AI can foster or hinder critical thinking.
Conflicting Perception between AI and Critical Thinking:
Many educators, philosophers, and technologists express concern that AI may undermine human critical thinking, which has arisen from several key issues:
n Cognitive Dependency: As AI systems take over more cognitive tasks—writing essays, summarising texts, solving problems—people may rely on them excessively. This dependency could weaken human analytical and interpretive skills. For example, students using AI tools to generate ideas or essays may stop engaging in the cognitive struggle that develops reasoning and originality.
n Information Overload and Superficiality: AI can generate vast quantities of content quickly, but not all of it is accurate or meaningful. The ease of generating and accessing AI-created information may encourage superficial engagement rather than deep analysis. In this environment, distinguishing truth from falsehood and bias from objectivity becomes increasingly challenging.
n Algorithmic Bias and Manipulation: AI systems reflect the biases present in their training data. Without critical evaluation, users may accept AI outputs as objective truths, ignoring the underlying social and ethical biases embedded within. The risk of manipulation—through algorithmic curation of news, targeted advertising, or misinformation—further underscores the importance of critical thinking to safeguard autonomy.
n Erosion of Creativity: Some critics argue that AI’s predictive nature discourages original thinking. When algorithms suggest ideas, styles, or solutions based on existing patterns, human creators may unconsciously conform to those norms rather than innovate beyond them.
Thus, the relationship between AI and critical thinking can appear adversarial: one seems to promote efficiency and automation, the other demands reflection and questioning. Yet, this conflict is not inevitable.
AI as a Catalyst for Critical Thinking:
While AI can potentially weaken critical thinking if misused, it can also serve as a powerful ally when used consciously. The key lies in positioning AI not as a substitute for thought but as a stimulus for deeper inquiry. Several arguments support this synergy:
n AI as a Tool for Exploration: AI can process vast datasets, uncover patterns, and generate hypotheses that humans might overlook. This capability can expand the scope of critical thinking by providing new perspectives. For instance, in scientific research, AI can identify correlations that prompt human scientists to formulate new questions and theories. Here, AI acts as a partner in discovery, not a replacement for reasoning.
n Enhancing Analytical Skills: When learners critically engage with AI outputs—questioning their accuracy, bias, and assumptions—they exercise higher-order thinking. For example, students who use AI-generated essays as a starting point for analysis rather than submission practice evaluation, synthesis, and comparison—all key components of critical thinking.
n Promoting Metacognitive Awareness: AI can mirror human reasoning, allowing individuals to reflect on their own thought processes. When an AI system explains its reasoning (as in explainable AI models), users can compare it to their own logic, identifying gaps or biases. This meta-analysis deepens cognitive self-awareness.
n Simulating Complex Scenarios: AI-driven simulations can present complex ethical or strategic dilemmas that require human judgement. For example, in medical education, AI can simulate patient interactions that force trainees to make critical decisions. Such environments strengthen practical reasoning and ethical awareness.
n Democratising Access to Knowledge: AI tools can make information and education more accessible, enabling more people to develop their critical faculties. By providing personalised learning experiences and adaptive feedback, AI can support the cultivation of reasoning skills across diverse populations.
AI and Critical Thinking
in Education:
The intersection of AI and education is perhaps the most important arena for testing their compatibility. Education has long aimed to nurture critical, creative, and ethical thinkers—qualities essential for democratic societies and innovation-driven economies.
n The Risk of Passive Learning: One danger is that students might use AI merely to complete assignments without engaging intellectually. This short-circuits the learning process. For instance, using AI to generate essays or answers can produce technically correct but conceptually shallow work. Educators must therefore design tasks that require students to critique, revise, or justify AI-generated content rather than simply reproduce it.
n AI as a Cognitive Partner: When integrated thoughtfully, AI can personalise learning pathways, helping students identify weaknesses in reasoning and improve analytical skills. Adaptive learning platforms use AI to assess understanding in real time and suggest targeted exercises. Students can use AI to test hypotheses, gather evidence, and compare multiple interpretations of a text or problem—activities that reinforce critical engagement.
n Teaching AI Literacy: A crucial part of 21st-century critical thinking is understanding how AI systems work, their data sources, limitations, and biases, as AI literacy involves not just technical knowledge but ethical and philosophical awareness.
n Redefining Assessment: AI also challenges traditional assessment methods. As AI can generate high-quality essays or solutions, educators must emphasise originality, reasoning, and reflection in evaluation.
Ethical Implications: Responsibility and Bias:
Critical thinking also involves moral reasoning, and the ethical use of AI demands precisely this quality. AI systems can perpetuate bias, invade privacy, or make opaque decisions affecting lives. Human critical thinking is necessary to scrutinise such systems’ fairness, transparency, and accountability.
For instance, predictive policing algorithms have been criticized for reinforcing racial bias. Without critical examination, such systems may appear “objective” simply because they are automated. Critical thinkers must question who designs AI, whose data it uses, and whose interests it serves. Moreover, the ethical use of AI requires balancing efficiency with empathy.
In medicine, for example, AI can assist in diagnosis but cannot replace the human capacity for compassion and holistic understanding, as critical thinking allows practitioners to integrate AI’s analytical strengths with moral and emotional intelligence. The future will depend on societies’ ability to train citizens who can question and guide AI ethically.
The Workplace and the Future
of Human Skills:
In the workplace, AI automates routine and data-driven tasks, freeing humans to focus on higher-order functions—creativity, strategy, and ethical decision-making. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report identifies critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity as among the top skills for the AI era. Thus, far from making critical thinking obsolete, AI heightens its importance.
Workers must learn to interpret AI insights, detect errors, and make decisions that machines cannot contextualise. For instance, in finance, AI can analyse market patterns, but human analysts must interpret them within socio-political contexts. In journalism, AI can summarise data, but human writers must evaluate truth and meaning. As industries evolve, the synergy between AI and critical thinking will define competitiveness and innovation that organizations which foster reflective, adaptive thinkers capable of collaborating with AI will lead the knowledge economy.
Integrating AI and Critical Thinking: In order to ensure that AI and critical thinking develop symbiotically, several strategies can be adopted across education, policy, and technology design:
Embedding Critical Thinking in AI Education: Curricula at all levels should teach students how AI works, where it can err, and how to critically engage with its outputs. This creates informed users rather than passive consumers.
Designing Explainable AI Systems: AI developers should prioritise transparency, enabling users to understand how algorithms reach conclusions. Explainability encourages users to analyse and challenge results critically.
Encouraging Human-AI Collaboration: Workplaces and classrooms should emphasise co-creation with AI—using it as a brainstorming partner, data analyst, or critique generator. Such interaction fosters active reflection.
Promoting Ethical and Human-Centred AI: Policymakers and technologists must ensure that AI development aligns with human values—equity, justice, and empathy. Critical thinking should guide every stage of AI design and deployment.
Cultivating Lifelong Learning: As AI evolves rapidly, individuals must continuously adapt. Lifelong learning and reflective practice become vital for maintaining intellectual independence in a dynamic world. Through these strategies, AI and critical thinking can evolve together in a mutually reinforcing cycle.
The question “Can AI and critical thinking go together?” invites not a binary answer but a nuanced understanding. AI, by itself, neither promotes nor diminishes critical thinking; its impact depends on how humans use it. If individuals approach AI passively, accepting outputs without question, it can erode critical faculties. But if they engage with AI actively—questioning, interpreting, and reflecting—it can become a powerful catalyst for intellectual growth. AI challenges humanity to rethink what it means to think. It forces educators, policymakers, and citizens to balance efficiency with reflection, automation with ethics, and data with wisdom. In this balance lies the future of both technological progress and human flourishing. Ultimately, AI and critical thinking not only can go together, they must. The survival of meaningful human intelligence in the digital age depends on it. By integrating critical reasoning with machine precision, humanity can ensure that technology serves understanding rather than replacing it and that the age of artificial intelligence becomes, above all, an age of enlightened intelligence. By going through all the above, it may be said that education will become the testing ground for harmonising AI use and intellectual autonomy, and with this goal we should not ban AI from classrooms but ensure that it serves as a medium for cultivating thoughtful human reasoning.
(The author is the Vice Chancellor of North Lakhimpur University, Khelmati, North Lakhimpur, Assam)