Why Critical Thinking Matters When Using AI

Apr 28

Let’s face it — there’s a lot of information flying at us every day online. Critical thinking is how we make sense of it all. It means asking questions, looking at the facts, and thinking about different sides of every story. Critical thinking helps us understand what we believe and stay open to new ideas.

At work, critical thinking helps you solve problems faster, make smarter choices, and develop more creative solutions. It also helps you work more effectively with others because you learn to listen and share ideas.

When using AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools like ChatGPT, critical thinking is a must. AI tools often sound super confident — even when they are totally wrong. That’s why it’s important to double-check what it says, each time.

One great way to do strengthen your critical thinking muscles when using AI is by applying something called Bloom’s Taxonomy – a framework used to categorize cognitive skills – to your work. It’s a fancy name, but the idea is simple; it breaks thinking into six levels, from basic to advanced.

Remembering – Repeat or write down facts.
Understanding – Explain ideas in your own words.
Applying – Use the info in real situations.
Analyzing – Ask why and how things work.
Evaluating – Decide what’s true and what’s not.
Creating – Build something new with what you’ve learned

Let’s see how we can apply Bloom’s Taxonomy to working with AI:

Remember: Read what the AI gives you and jot down key facts.

Understand: Ask yourself, “why did it mention that?” Try saying it in your own words.

Apply: Use what the AI told you in a project — like a report or assignment.

Analyze: Think about what could be missing or wrong. Could it be biased?

Evaluate: Check the sources. Do a quick search with non-AI resources to compare the AI’s info with other websites. Don’t rely on one AI to fact check another.