The Challenges of Critical Thinking in the Era of Ai

Robert A Kenedy
York University

Abstract

Abstract for ICMS XXXVII The Challenges of Critical Thinking in the Era of AI Associate Professor Robert A. Kenedy, York University We seem to be living in a post-truth world (Orwell, 1949, Postman, 1985) where students are exposed to pedagogical techniques that rely heavily on what Freire (2010) refers to as “banking” in terms of a student-teacher relationship of “depositing” content-driven course material based on “fill[ing] the student with content” in order to “memorize mechanically the narrated content…as an act of depositing” (Freire, 2010: 71-72). This could be a reason that we are academically adrift in this banking-based memorization instead of pedagogical engagement that promotes the critical thinking of that content (Arum & Roska, 2011). In other words, is post-secondary academically or educationally adrift in what Postman notes is a dystopic “sea of irrelevance” that is filled with meaningless and abundant content without any active learning or critical thinking (Postman, 1985). It is especially necessary in the era of AI that critical thinking is essential to evaluate all information due to “banking” and being academically adrift in a post-truth world where information is accepted prima facie from sources such as ChatGPT without any deep critical thought. It is essential that all AI outputs need to be critically examined due to the limitations of Chat GPT and other AI programs (Exintaris et al, 2023; Plebani, 2023; Spector and Ma, 2019; Zhai, 2022, 2023 23). I argue that critically thinking is based on becoming an active learner who is an engaged independent thinker that promotes and examines all information including ChatGPT and other AI sources. The emphasis is on thoughtfully questioning what is being learned as well as critically and creatively analyzing and evaluating information from sources such as AI to gain a deeper understanding as an effective thinker. Critical thinking pedagogy should also promote “portability,” moving beyond the classroom into the realms of citizenship such as voting, everyday information-based online multimedia literacy including AI, as well as in a person’s employment and professional lives. This means becoming a critical thinker inside and outside the classroom and take what is learned into your personal, public, and professional lives. Overall, we need to develop our own ideas beyond AI and not depend on AI such as ChatGPT, instead critical thinking needs to be used to scrutinize all sources, especially outputs.