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A recent MIT Media Lab study reported that “excessive reliance on AI-driven solutions” may contribute” to “cognitive atrophy” and shrinking of critical thinking abilities. The study is small and is not peer-reviewed, and yet it delivers a warning that even artificial intelligence assistants are willing to acknowledge. When we asked ChatGPT whether AI can make us dumber or smarter, it answered, “It depends on how we engage with it: as a crutch or a tool for growth.”

The Gazette spoke with faculty across a range of disciplines, including a research scientist in education, a philosopher, and the director of the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, to discuss critical thinking in the age of AI. We asked them about the ways in which AI can foster or hinder critical thinking, and whether overreliance on the technology can dull our minds. The interviews have been edited for length and clarity.