The Influence of Generative AI on Critical Thinking

The study, with the full title: »The Influence of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reduction in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers«, was originally published by Microsoft with the title »The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers«.

The study examines how the use of generative AI affects the critical thinking of knowledge workers.

A survey of 319 individuals shows: The greater the trust in AI, the less critical reflection occurs; the greater the confidence, the stronger the critical thinking. GenAI reduces cognitive effort but also leads to dependency and potential loss of competence. The authors call for GenAI tools to be designed in a way that promotes reflection and active evaluation.

Remarkable in this context is the role of Microsoft itself: The company is significantly involved in OpenAI and integrates its models into its own search engine Bing. Similarly, Microsoft provides Copilot, a generative AI integrated into Windows. This business entanglement should be considered when interpreting the study results, even though the scientific methodology of the study is to be evaluated independently of it.