Is higher confidence in gen AI (artificial intelligence) associated with less critical thinking? New research says yes. Let’s take a closer look and determine how we can better prepare and train our workforce for this new era of work side-by-side with gen AI.
A new report—The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking—examines how 319 knowledge workers perceive the enaction of critical thinking when using gen AI and when and why gen AI impacts their effort to do so. The research done by Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft is interesting to say the least and will shape the future of work.
The companies surveyed these workers who use gen AI tools at work at least once per week to model how they enact critical thinking when using the technology and how the technology impacted their perceived effort of thinking critically.
Here is the biggest takeaway we must consider today: higher confidence in gen AI is associated with less critical thinking, while higher self-confidence is associated with more critical thinking. What does this ultimately mean? Gen AI is shifting the nature of critical thinking toward information verification, response integration, and task stewardship.
Train Today’s Workers
With this in mind, the questions, then, remain: How can we still do due diligence? How can we still take ownership of work? How, then, do we prepare the next generation of workers to work side-by-side with gen AI in this new era of work?
Step 1: Train them. Fostering workers’ expertise and associated self-confidence may result in improved critical thinking when using gen AI tools. Simply put, train them. Even the research suggests task confidence significantly influences how users engage with AI tools.
Step 2: Create awareness. In general, we need to be aware of how the technology is impacting our work and our critical thinking. This particular research suggests knowledge workers tend to forgo critical thinking for tasks perceived as unimportant or secondary, while engaging when aiming to improve task quality or avoid negative outcomes. Awareness will become key here.
Step 3: Identify motivators. This study suggests knowledge workers often neglect critical thinking when they perceive it as outside their job scope but engage in it when aiming to improve their professional skills. A key step here is to identify what is motivating workers.
Step 4: Adjust the technology. The very design of the gen AI could actually enhance the ability to execute critical thinking. The research suggests knowledge workers often resist critical thinking when they lack the skills to inspect, improve, and guide AI-generated responses. Gen AI could include features that facilitate user learning, such as providing explanations of AI reasoning, suggesting areas for user refinement, or offering guided critiques.
Perhaps all companies should do an internal audit of how workers are engaging with gen AI. The results from the Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University study are enlightening—and I am sure the results from inside your own organization would be just as enlightening. With the data in hand, companies can then take the next step to create awareness, identify motivations, and adjust and train as needed.
What steps are you taking to ensure gen AI is used responsibly in your organization? How can we still do due diligence? How can we still take ownership of work? How do we prepare the next generation of workers to work side-by-side with gen AI in this new era of work? What would you add?
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