AI Use Linked to Declining Student Critical Thinking Skills

The widespread adoption of generative AI tools by students, particularly following the 2022 release of ChatGPT, is raising significant concerns among educators and experts regarding its impact on critical thinking and learning. A College Board survey indicated that over 80% of high school students utilized generative AI for schoolwork in the past year. This ease of accessing information through AI chatbots has prompted questions about whether these tools aid or impede the learning process.

A January study by the Brookings Institute, which analyzed data from over 500 educators, parents, and students across 50 countries, along with more than 400 research studies, concluded that the risks of using generative AI in children's education currently outweigh its benefits. This finding lends support to earlier research, including a February 2025 Microsoft study, which suggested a correlation between AI use and diminished judgment and critical thinking abilities.

Mary Burns, an education consultant and co-author of the Brookings Institute study, expressed her belief that cognitive offloading associated with AI use leads to cognitive decline, impacting critical thinking, reading, writing, and knowledge of basic facts. This scrutiny of educational technology (EdTech) is not entirely new; computer use in schools has faced criticism, notably during a Congressional testimony in January by neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath. He cited data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) to highlight that Gen Z is the first generation in modern history to show a decline in academic performance, with math and reading scores significantly dropping after schools increased their reliance on digital devices over traditional textbooks.